Did Emma Stone Call Jimmy Kimmel a Pr—k? An Investigation

Social media lip-readers seem to think so.

emma stone
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Amid her Best Actress win and a wardrobe malfunction, Emma Stone had another attention-grabbing moment at the 2024 Oscars. The star gained notoriety on Sunday night when her reaction to Jimmy Kimmel's Poor Things joke went viral—and some fans are convinced she called the host a "prick."

After a quick montage of clips from the movie, Kimmel joked, "Those were all the parts of Poor Things we're allowed to show on TV." The Oscars' cameras cut to Stone just as she muttered a reaction to her husband, Dave McCary. And what she mouthed looked suspiciously like the word "prick."

Whatever Stone said to McCary, her side-eyed, skeptical look is unmistakable. It's possible she was in on the bit and just pretending to be annoyed—but it's also possible she was irritated about her film being reduced to its sexually explicit scenes. If that were the case, she'd be right to be miffed; the film garnered a whopping 11 Oscar nominations and four wins.

As for the film's sexual content, Stone discussed it with NPR's Fresh Air podcast, noting that American cinemagoers are often fine with seeing violence depicted on-screen, but not sex. "I didn't have that sort of freedom and acceptance in the same way around sexuality. But as time has gone on, I think that it's been very illuminating to me," Stone told podcast host Terry Gross.

In the end, Stone probably isn't too worried about the joke, no matter what she said to her husband. She just took home her second Best Actress win and delivered an acceptance speech referencing Taylor Swift. All things considered, that's a pretty good night.

Meghan De Maria
Celebrity News Writer

Meghan is a freelance news writer at Marie Claire. Her work has also ppeared in Bustle, Refinery29, Popsugar, and other outlets. When she isn't writing, Meghan runs a community for plus-size people in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina.