Jimmy Kimmel Confirms Donkey at Oscars Was Not Actually Jenny from Banshees of Inisherin

PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty

No, Jimmy Kimmel and the Academy did not fly The Banshees of Inisherin‘s Jenny the Donkey from Ireland to Los Angeles for the Oscars.

As Kimmel, 55, recapped the 95th Academy Awards on Jimmy Kimmel Live Monday, the host confirmed that the donkey brought onstage for a bit at the awards show was not the actual donkey featured in writer-director Martin McDonagh’s film, which starred nominees Colin Farrell, Kerry Condon, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan.

“Jenny the Donkey from the Banshees of Inisherin, that was our emotional-support donkey last night,” the host said during his monologue, adding that while “everybody was super excited to see her,” news outlets like the Los Angeles Times confirmed with McDonagh and Condon that the donkey was not actually Jenny.

“I have to say, it’s true. It wasn’t Jenny, it wasn’t even a female donkey,” Kimmel explained. “The donkey’s name is Dominic, it’s a male donkey. We didn’t think it was a good idea to fly a donkey over from Ireland, so we hired an L.A. donkey. Maybe you noticed the lip fillers and the implants.”

Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

“To anyone who was upset that they didn’t get to see the bonafide donkey, we’re very sorry,” Kimmel quipped. “I want to apologize on behalf of the Academy, it will never happen again, I promise you.”

Jenny the Donkey — the real one — received considerable acclaim from the Banshees of Inisherin cast and crew when the film released back in October. The film’s animal trainer Rita Moloney, who secured Jenny’s place in the movie, told Vulture that filmmaker McDonagh “just fell in love with her” the first time he met the miniature donkey.

“Martin fell so in love with her that he never wanted her to work again,” Moloney told the outlet. “He asked if she could just do this movie, and then retire.”

“Now she’s just a happy donkey running with other miniature donkeys,” she added of Jenny’s life. “I only saw her about three weeks ago down in County Carlow, and she’s looking fine, fit and healthy. She’s just living the dream.”

Kimmel’s monologue on Monday also featured an appearance by Best Supporting Actor winner Ke Huy Quan, who crashed the Jimmy Kimmel Live stage to joke that he was still partying following his win on Sunday.