This year's Oscars telecast went off without any hitches nearly as controversial as last year's big slap, although host Jimmy Kimmel made sure to joke as much as possible about Will Smith's ban-worthy act. Kimmel obviously also directed somewhat predictable barbs at plenty of other celebs while celebrating Hollywood’s biggest night, with fellow A-list target Tom Cruise also not in attendance. But the talk show host went too far, bu-u-u-uddy, when he roasted Encino Man’s Pauly Shore while talking about the comedian’s award-winning former co-stars Brendan Fraser and Ke Huy Quan.
Proud papa Brendan Fraser took home the Best Actor gold for his work in The Whale, while Ke Huy Quan was part of Everything, Everywhere, All At Once’s trophy-nabbing sweep that evening, winning for Best Supporting Actor. And Pauly Shore was definitely pumped to see his Encino Man cohorts being honored by the industry in such a way. However, he was slightly less enthused about Kimmel’s crack during the ceremony:
Two actors from Encino Man are nominated for Oscars. What an incredible night this must be for the two of you, and what a difficult night it must be for Pauly Shore.
There was scattered laughter, to be sure, but nothing that brought the house down, since not a whole lot of deep thought went into the joke. That’s just the kind of comment that Pauly Shore has long ago grown used to hearing in relation to his 30+ years in the entertainment industry. But even if it’s nothing new, that doesn’t mean Shore feels pumped and overjoyed after hearing jokes of that nature.
While he didn’t seem to call Jimmy Kimmel out by name, Shore gave his thoughts on the matter to Page Six:
We love to hate people when they’re on top. People wanted to smash me down and they did. I was always nice to everyone, always cool, I put my heart into all my films. You’re buying and selling a human being. Human beings have feelings, it’s not like selling real estate.
Granted, Shore shared a slightly different response on Twitter the day after the Oscars, though it’s possible he just wanted to keep that message focused on the positivity spawned by Fraser and Quan’s huge wins, as opposed to sending shots back at Kimmel. Although as the Son in Law star put it himself, he’s not the kind of actor who takes shots at anyone anyway.
While saying how happy he was for the two Oscar winners, Shore shared his intention to get back into the limelight again, and said it’s a notion that he hears from fans all the time. The decision just isn’t in his hands, and it largely comes down to studio execs taking a shot on giving him more roles.
The directors and producers are the ones with the vision. Someone out there will say, ‘You know what, we’re going to do something you wouldn’t expect — we’ll put Pauly in this role that no one would expect.’ That’s where my heart is.
In the midst of Brendan Fraser becoming Hollywood’s teddy bear last year, rumors spread about the possibility of an Encino Man sequel coming together at Disney+, with Shore himself putting those words into the ethers. Director George Zaloom has hinted at something potentially happening, but without any guarantees.
We can only hope that Fraser’s Oscar-winning buzz helps make that follow-up film manifest, but I also wouldn’t turn it down if Fraser just wanted to produce a Bio-Dome sequel instead. In the Army Again, anyone?
