Oscars 2023 host Jimmy Kimmel asks Malala if she thinks Harry Styles spat on Chris Pine

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala is going viral online after the host of the Oscars 2023 ceremony Jimmy Kimmel asked the activist to weigh in on if she believes Harry Styles spat on Chris Pine during the Cannes Film Festival.

The 2023 Academy Awards have come and gone, with Everything, Everywhere All at Once winning 7 Oscars in a groundbreaking effort. However, one smaller moment from the awards that has been getting major attention online is when host Jimmy Kimmel ventured into the crowd to ask some of the guests a few questions. 

And while Kimmel asked multiple questions to actors such as Jessica Chastain and Collin Farrel, his interaction with activist Malala has left viewers confused and outraged. 

During the segment, Kimmel asked Malala, “as the youngest Nobel Prize winner in history,” Kimmel said, “I was wondering, do you think Harry Styles spit on Chris Pine?”

For those who may have missed the context of this scenario, Kimmel was referring to a viral moment that took place at the end of 2022 in which fans thought Harry Styles spat on fellow actor Chris Pine. 

Jimmy Kimmel asks Malala about Harry Styles & Chris Pine at the Oscars 2023

The videos of the moment were slowed down, reduced to single frames flicked back and forward with arrow keys. It’s almost unarguable that it certainly looks like he spits on him, from the narrowing of Styles’ cheeks to Pine’s glance down and bemused reaction as he halts his applause.

After pausing for a moment, Malala answered in a concise and, according to social media, perfect response. “I only talk about peace,” was her answer to the question. Malala herself then tweeted about the viral clip, captioning her post “treat people with kindness.”

Social media response to the viral Malala Oscars 2023 moment

Following the moment, audiences were quick to hop on Twitter and share their thoughts on the interaction. One Twitter user commented, “Jimmy Kimmel will pay for making Malala answer that question” while others called the moment ‘cringe” and a “fail.”

As well as this initial interaction, a follow-up occurred later on in the show in which a person dressed up as a bear, pretending to imitate Cocaine Bear, jokingly attacked Malala. This scene getting just as much negative attention as the Harry Style question.

“Don’t worry general audience members,” began another Twitter user, “we have made sure to play off the Oscar winners who helped make the biggest movie of the year, so that instead you can watch a man dressed as a bear harass Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai.”

For all the latest TV and movie news and updates, be sure to check out Dexerto’s full coverage here.