Jimmy Kimmel joked about the gender imbalance in his writers room for the 2018 Oscars at the Television Critics Association press tour on Monday.
“We do have more male writers than others, but because I am inclusive, there are going to be some surgeries that take place,” Kimmel said.
After taking a moment to count the writers, Kimmel said that the room will be made up of four women and seven men, not including himself. His wife, Molly McNearney, is serving as head writer for the special.
“Is that okay?” he asked of the imbalance. “We’ll let America decide.”
The issue of gender parity is especially top-of-mind this awards season, as Hollywood has faced a reckoning in recent months about the way the business and the men in it treat women. Seth Meyers addressed the recent spate of sexual misconduct revelations head-on at the Golden Globes on Sunday, and Kimmel said he would likely take on the same issue in March.
“I’m sure that it’ll be part of the subject matter,” he concluded. “Unless there’s a nuclear weapon heading to Sacramento that night, then we’ll probably go right to that.”