Jimmy Kimmel's plumber joke just won't go away. Another celebrity has jumped on the "controversy" and called out Kimmel for his diss against Markwayne Mullin.
The controversy stems from a recent monologue in which Kimmel mocked Mullin’s qualifications in the wake of the senator getting the top role overseeing the Department of Homeland Security. Mullin, who built his career as a plumbing business owner before entering politics, became the subject of a joke that some critics have labeled dismissive of skilled trades.
Politicians and commentators on the right bashed Kimmel for what they said was an elitist take that insulted blue-collar workers. Even President Donald Trump shared his thoughts, using the backlash against Kimmel to call the comedian a "loser" with low ratings.
Kimmel only doubled down, which may be why Mike Rowe felt compelled to share his perspective.
Rowe, best known as the longtime host of Dirty Jobs, didn’t hold back in his response. Posting on X, the TV personality said he took issue with what he saw as an underlying message in Kimmel’s joke.
"I am a tad butt hurt by the suggestion that skilled workers should never evolve into something new, and that competence is somehow limited to one vocation,” Rowe wrote. “Obviously, expertise and skill are important,” he added. “If I need a new kidney, I’d prefer a doctor do the surgery, not a late-night talk show host. But if the doctor in question used to host a talk show, why would I hold that against him?”
But like some others, Rowe seems to have missed the point about Kimmel's joke. At least that's what the late-night host wants people to believe. Kimmel’s humor wasn’t necessarily aimed at plumbers or skilled laborers broadly, but rather at the idea that Mullin may lack the specific qualifications for a high-level national security role.
Ironically, Rowe and Kimmel share a bit of history. The Dirty Jobs host appeared as a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! back in 2008, long before this latest incident. At the time, the two shared a friendly chat, long before either became one to publicly comment on politics.
Hopefully, this is the last of it when it comes to Kimmel's joke. The comedian has said far more controversial things that didn't get quite the level of feedback as his thoughts on plumbers and homeland security. But as long as culture wars continue to make headlines, Kimmel will be under the microscope from the other side.