Malala Yousafzai Speaks Out As Jimmy Kimmel Is Accused Of 'Harassing' Her During Academy Awards: 'Treat People With Kindness'
Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai took to social media this week to respond to allegations Jimmy Kimmel “harassed” her while hosting this year’s Academy Awards, RadarOnline.com has learned.
On Sunday night, while Yousafzai was at the Oscars representing her short documentary Stranger at the Gate, Kimmel came under fire for asking the Taliban shooting survivor her thoughts regarding rumors Harry Styles “spit” on Chris Pine while the pair were promoting the film Don’t Worry Darling in September.
“She asked, your work on human rights and education for women and children is an inspiration,” Kimmel said while reading a question from a woman named Joanne. “As the youngest Nobel Prize winner in history, do you think Harry Styles spit on Chris Pine?”
“I only talk about peace,” Yousafzai, 25, responded.
“You know what, that's why you're Malala and nobody else is. That's a great answer, Malala,” Kimmel continued. “The winner is Malala-land, everybody.”
But shortly after Kimmel asked Yousafzai about Styles, Pine, and “spit-gate,” surprised Oscars viewers rushed to social media to condemn the comedian for “harassing” the 25-year-old Pakistani education activist before branding Kimmel a “national disgrace.”
“I love [Jimmy Kimmel] but his interaction with Malala was one of the worst and most painful things I've seen on TV in so many years,” wrote on Twitter user.
“Jimmy Kimmel is a national disgrace,” wrote another. “This woman deserves better.”
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“I hope Jimmy Kimmel pays for making Malala answer that question. She deserves better than that!”
Then, hours after the Academy Awards ended, Yousafzai took to Twitter to respond to Sunday night’s controversial incident between herself and Kimmel.
“Treat people with kindness,” she wrote alongside a clip of her awkward interaction with Kimmel.
Meanwhile, other Oscars viewers took to Twitter to defend Kimmel and to suggest the entire exchange between the comedian and Yousafzai was “planned” and she most likely “agreed to participate” long before the awards ceremony was held Sunday night.
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“They aren’t ambushed,” wrote one Twitter user. “These are all planned and they agree to participate in advance.”
“Why is everyone so stuffy? Malala is allowed to have a sense of humor and [participate] in a lighthearted joke,” added another. “And I would bet my last dollar that it was all staged and that she agreed to participate beforehand.”