Malala makes her debut as an executive producer at the Academy Awards and sees surge of support following Jimmy Kimmel’s awkward jokes.
Education activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai graced the red carpet last night at the 95th Annual Academy Awards as an executive producer for her short documentary Stranger at the Gate.
The documentary tells the story of a former US Marine who planned to bomb a mosque in Indiana until he faced the people he was trying to kill.
“It’s about the values of forgiveness, compassion and kindness,” Malala told ABC News last week in the run-up to the awards.
The US veteran, Richard McKinney, was welcomed into the community and eventually decided to convert to Islam.
Hosting the Oscars awards on Sunday, Jimmy Kimmel approached Malala during a break to ask a question – allegedly from a fan: “As the youngest Nobel Prize winner in history, I was wondering, do you think Harry Styles spit on Chris Pine?”
To which Malala responded: “I only talk about peace.”
Kimmel then followed up with “You know what, that’s why you’re Malala and nobody else is. That’s a great answer. The winner is Malala-land, everybody.”
A person dressed as Cocaine Bear then ran up to the 25-year-old Nobel Laureate to pester her.
Malala was praised on Twitter for her response to Kimmel’s jokes, including her father, who tweeted: “Quick-witted. Like mother like daughter.”
Quick-witted. 👏🏽👏🏽
Like mother, like daughter. ♥️♥️
Jani Mun @Malala ! https://t.co/HCcnRS8GQh— Ziauddin Yousafzai (@ZiauddinY) March 13, 2023
After the ceremony, Malala re-posted the video on Twitter, writing: “Treat people with kindness.”
Treat people with kindness✌️ https://t.co/ZvUVHcrTBJ
— Malala Yousafzai (@Malala) March 13, 2023
Malala had previously expressed her desire to transform Hollywood due to its lack of representation of Muslims and other Asian people during a speech last year at Variety’s Power of Women event.
She made her debut at Sunday’s ceremony bejewelled in a Ralph Lauren sparkling silver dress with an incorporated hijab, accompanied by her husband Asser Malik.
