Amy Schumer Speaks out After Being Accused of Stealing Oscars Joke About Leonardo DiCaprio

Amy Schumer denies stealing her joke about Leonardo DiCaprio from Twitter after some social media users accused the comedian of using a viral tweet during her monologue at the 94th Academy Awards. During the Oscars, Schumer said of DiCaprio, “He has done so much to fight climate change and leave behind a cleaner, greener planet for his girlfriends,” echoing a similar tweet that made its way around Twitter after being posted in December 2021. 

On Watch What Happens Live! this week, Schumer shot down accusations that she pilfered the joke after being asked about the joke stealing controversies that have followed her for much of her career. “OK. Well, I would like to say, I haven’t personally been on Twitter,” Schumer said when asked about the joke. “I’ve had my assistant do it, just so I can remain alive and not kill myself. And also, that joke was written by Suli McCullough. But I thank you guys, always, for making sure that I don’t start thievery.”

Schumer added, “I just got to do a lie-detector test on Vanity Fair and they asked me, thank God, ‘Have you ever stolen a joke?’ and I said no, and it was ‘that’s true.’ So, everybody just chill. It’s crazy. I’m funny enough, I don’t need to steal s-.” The Life & Beth star has been open about what went into writing her jokes for the 2022 Oscars, sharing during an April 2 comedy show in Las Vegas that her lawyer told her to cut jokes about Joe Rogan, James Franco and Alec Baldwin’s fatal Rust shooting.

“I want to preface these Oscar jokes by saying that my lawyer said not to say these. Don’t tell anybody and don’t get mad at me,” Schumer said. “Don’t Look Up is the name of a movie? More like don’t look down the barrel of Alec Baldwin’s shotgun.” She added, “I wasn’t allowed to say any of that, but you can just come up and [slap] someone.” 

Schumer also revealed on WWHL that she donated her $15,000 Oscars hosting paycheck to Planned Parenthood before being asked about Louis C.K.’s recent Grammy win for Best Comedy Album despite his admission to sexual misconduct. “I don’t think it feels good,” Schumer said of C.K.’s win. “It doesn’t feel good. I think it doesn’t feel good.”