Fans of “The Banshees of Inisherin” were excited to see what they assumed was Jenny the Donkey make a cameo at the 2023 Oscars, but you know what they say about assumptions…
It turns out the donkey that host Jimmy Kimmel brought on stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles was not the infamous Jenny who acted as the sidekick to Colin Farrell’s character, Pádraic.
This donkey was a fraud.
“This is Jenny. She’s one of the stars of ‘The Banshees of Inisherin,’ ” Kimmel said while introducing the donkey to the crowd.
“Not only is Jenny an actor, but she is a certified emotional-support donkey. Or at least that’s what we told the airline to get her on the plane from Ireland,” Kimmel quipped.
The late-night host continued to give a shout-out to Jenny’s co-stars Farrell, 46, and Brendan Gleeson, 67, who were both nominated for their roles in “Banshees.”
“Jenny, I want you to see, there’s your friend Colin is right there, and there’s your friend Brendon whose finger you ate — you want to say thank you?” Kimmel said.
And even though Farrell looked lovingly at the donkey onstage, it wasn’t the real Jenny.
“Banshees of Inisherin” director Martin McDonagh told the Los Angeles Times that the jackass was an impostor.
“It wasn’t Jenny. We never would have allowed that to happen,” he said.
“No! All the way from Ireland?” Best Supporting Actress nominee Kerry Condon said. “’Course not!”
A source also told Vulture that it was “just a random donkey.”
McDonagh was as much of a fan of Jenny as the “Banshees” audience, and he wanted her to retire and live her best life.
“Martin fell so in love with her that he never wanted her to work again,” her former trainer Rita Moloney of Fircroft Animal Actors told Vulture in October.
“He asked if she could just do this movie and then retire. Now she’s just a happy donkey running with other miniature donkeys. 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.”
Viewers watching from home were enamored with the faux Jenny, quickly turning her into a meme and saying that she should have won the award for Best Supporting Actress.