Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel took shots at Republican senator Katie Britt in his opening monologue, joking that she had the ‘brain of a child’ similar to Emma Stone’s character in Poor Things.
Kimmel, 56, referenced Stone’s portrayal of Bella Baxter in Yorgos Lanthimos’ film – the role for which she was awarded Best Actress.
‘Emma played an adult woman with the brain of a child, like the lady who gave the rebuttal to the State of the Union on Thursday night,’ the late-night host quipped.
Kimmel was referencing the Alabama senator’s disastrous response, which referenced an outdated story of a child trafficking victim.
In the now-infamous video, Britt stood in her kitchen and relayed the story of a 12-year-old victim to illustrate the border crisis under President Joe Biden’s administration.
Jimmy Kimmel tore into Republican senator Katie Britt during his opening monologue at the 96th Oscars
Referencing Emma Stone’s award-winning portrayal of Bella Baxter in Poor Things, Kimmel quipped that Britt, similarly, was ‘an adult woman with the brain of a child’
However, outrage erupted over reports the ordeal actually took place in Mexico in 2004, under then-President George W. Bush.
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, the 42-year-old Republican admitted to host Shannon Bream that the story was not current, but refused to back down.
‘Well, I very clearly said I spoke to a woman who told me about when she was trafficked when she was 12,’ Britt said when asked about her remarks.
‘So I didn’t say a teenager, I didn’t say a young woman. A grown woman – a woman – when she was trafficked when she was 12.’
In her 18-minute-long response, the politician told viewers that the woman told her ‘not just that she was raped every day, but how many times a day she was raped.’
She insisted that cartel members ‘put her on a mattress in a shoebox of a room, and they sent men through that door, over and over again, for hours and hours on end.’
Taking a jab at Biden’s border policy, she continued: ‘We wouldn’t be OK with this happening in a third-world country. This is the United States of America, and it’s past time we start acting like it.’
Journalists were quick to point out that Britt was talking about Karla Jacinto Romero, who was ensnared by a pimp after her mother threw her out of her family home in Mexico City two decades ago.
Romero was forced into prostitution for four years before escaping and becoming a high-profile advocate for fellow victims.
Kimmel referenced Stone’s portrayal of Bella Baxter – the role for which she was awarded Best Actress
Britt was ridiculed during an SNL skit where she was played by Scarlett Johansen and dubbed the ‘craziest b**ch in the Target parking lot’
Former Fox News and NBC host Megyn Kelly was one of the members of Britt’s own party to rebuke the Alabama senator.
Britt ’embarrassed herself, she embarrassed Republicans, and she embarrassed women,’ Kelly said in a video posted to YouTube.
The nearly-20-minute-long rant was even parodied by Scarlett Johansen on SNL, where Britt was dubbed the ‘craziest b**ch in the Target parking lot.’
Britt traveled to the border at the Del Rio Sector in Texas in January 2023 with fellow Republicans Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, according to a news release from Hyde-Smith’s office.
‘The Senators learned about cartel activity in Mexico and the work being done to rescue victims of human trafficking,’ the release read.
It mentioned that the senators met with Romero during a roundtable accompanied by former Mexican Congresswoman Rosa María de la Garza and Fox News correspondent Sara Carter.
The 42-year-old is regarded as a rising star in the GOP and secured an endorsement from former President Donald Trump for her primary in 2022. She is also the youngest Republican woman to be elected to the Senate.
Britt described the story of Karla Jacinto Romero, who was trafficked in 2004, to illustrate the border crisis – even though the incident occurred during George W. Bush’s presidency
The Alabama senator, was ridiculed for her video response to Biden’s State of the Union after misrepresenting a story about a child trafficking survivor
Britt drew praise from some for her performance including Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
‘Congratulations to my friend and colleague for showing Texans and Americans what Republicans really stand for – a strong economy, secure border, and good jobs for every American,’ Cruz wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham called her response ‘dynamite,’ adding that she was ‘absolutely spot-on.’
But former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh told CNN that her comments were ‘despicable.’
‘I mean, we get into so much nuance around these sorts of things. Quit, quit with the nuance,’ he said.
‘She sat in front of the American people and she lied to us about a very serious problem.’