A resurfaced video shows Jimmy Kimmel laughing as Megan Fox talks about being sexualized at 15, and fans are saying she 'deserved better'

Claudia Willen
Randy Holmes / Getty ImagesMegan Fox appeared on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live.’
  • A video of Megan Fox’s 2009 interview on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” resurfaced on Twitter on Saturday.
  • During the interview, Fox said “Bad Boys II” director Michael Bay had her wear a bikini, cowboy hat, and six-inch heels as an extra when she was 15.
  • She also recalled that his “solution” to her being too young to sit at the bar in the scene was to “then have me dancing underneath a waterfall getting soaking wet.”
  • She called it a “microcosm of how Bay’s mind works.”
  • “That’s really a microcosm of how all our minds work but some of us have the decency to repress those thoughts,” Kimmel responds, prompting laughter from the audience.
  • After watching the video, people called Kimmel’s behaviour “disgusting” and said the actress deserved more from Hollywood.
  • Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Director Michael Bay and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel are being criticised after Megan Fox‘s 2009 interview on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” resurfaced on Twitter on Saturday.

During the interview, Fox told Kimmel about her first time working with Bay as an extra on the 2003 film “Bad Boys II” when she was 15 years old.

She recalled wearing a stars-and-stripes bikini, a red cowboy hat, and six-inch heels – an outfit that she said Bay approved himself.

Because she was 15 at the time and couldn’t legally hold a drink or sit at the bar during the movie’s club scene, Bay came up with an alternative plan.

“His solution to that problem was to then have me dancing underneath a waterfall getting soaking wet. At 15. I was in 10th grade,” she said. “That’s sort of a microcosm of how Bay’s mind works.”

In response, Kimmel told her, “Well, that’s really a microcosm of how all our minds work. Some of us have the decency to repress those thoughts and pretend that they don’t exist.”

https://twitter.com/reservoird0gs/status/1274538711175356417?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

After watching the interview 11 years later, people were shocked at Kimmel’s reaction, saying that it’s unacceptable for an adult to make jokes about sexualizing a minor. Several called for an apology from the late-night host.

https://twitter.com/tastefulvomit/status/1274833416161198081?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

After her appearance in “Bad Boys II,” Fox worked with Bay on two of the “Transformers” movies. Their relationship soured, however, after Fox likened the director to Adolf Hitler during a 2009 interview with Wonderland.

The Transformers crew then released an open letter defending Bay and slamming Fox, calling her “ungracious” and labelling her as “trailer trash.” In 2010, she left the Transformers franchise.

Fox took on projects like “Jennifer’s Body” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” but she wasn’t picking up major roles, a pattern that led some people to wonder if she’d been blacklisted for her outspoken criticism of directors and former projects.

After watching the resurfaced “Jimmy Kimmel Live” interview, people argued that Fox deserved better treatment – not only from Bay and Hollywood, but also from the audience, who laughed along with Kimmel.

Several pointed out that the widespread reaction to Fox’s stories could be a reason why she remained quiet during later movements like #MeToo and Time’s Up.

https://twitter.com/ephwinslow/status/1274726842931560448?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

https://twitter.com/HouseOfDameron/status/1274699050680553472?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

During a 2018 interview with The New York Times, Fox shared that she’d decided against sharing her stories as part of the #MeToo movement.

“I don’t want to say this about myself, but let’s say that I was ahead of my time and so people weren’t able to understand. Instead, I was rejected because of qualities that are now being praised in other women coming forward. And because of my experience, I feel it’s likely that I will always be just out of the collective understanding. I don’t know if there will ever be a time where I’m considered normal or relatable or likable,” the actress said.

She explained that while she has “quite a few stories” regarding sexism and abuse of power, she would likely be victim-shamed if she spoke up based on her previous experiences.

“I just didn’t think based on how I’d been received by people, and by feminists, that I would be a sympathetic victim. And I thought if ever there were a time where the world would agree that it’s appropriate to victim-shame someone, it would be when I come forward with my story,” she said.

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