Jimmy Kimmel continues to push back on critics of his comedy, especially those at the highest level of government. On Wednesday night, the late-night host put the spotlight back on President Donald Trump and what he sees as a glaring double standard.
During the night’s monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel reacted to an AI-generated image Trump shared on social media depicting himself carrying an assault rifle as part of an apparent negotiating tactic with Iran. The image comes just days after a gunman attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
Kimmel suggested the timing was hard to ignore. After all, he's been dealing with a political and media firestorm all week after critics took exception to his "expectant widow" joke about First Lady Melania Trump. Of course, that came before the WHCD, but it didn't stop the likes of Trump, Karoline Leavitt, and others putting a portion of blame on Kimmel.
“So much for toning down the rhetoric, I guess,” Kimmel said. The comedian sarcastically commended President Trump for waiting three whole days after the WHCD attack before sharing the inflammatory image.
After facing calls for his firing and reports of possible FCC retaliation against Disney over a roast-style joke, Kimmel has argued that his critics are selectively applying what can be defined as “dangerous rhetoric.” Just yesterday, Kimmel pointed out that President Trump made a similar joke about his age directly to the First Lady. By highlighting Trump’s latest Truth Social post featuring a weapon, Kimmel frames the backlash as inconsistent at best.
Kimmel also questioned what the intended effect of the image was supposed to be, imagining how it might be received in Iran. Rather than intimidating anyone, he joked, it could just as easily come across as absurd. “Best case scenario, they go, ‘The old man’s lost his marbles … he’s cosplaying as fat John Wick,’” Kimmel said.
The late-night host earned approval from the studio audience as he went further, wondering why a country that has endured two months of bombing would suddenly take President Trump seriously because of an over-the-top AI image. Kimmel mocked the president as looking like Dumbo and Rambo at the same time.
Kimmel's solution? Restricting President Trump's phone access overnight. The comedian, like others, has noticed that the president fires off his most unhinged and bizarre posts between midnight and 6 a.m. At this point, Kimmel sees it as a national security issue to keep the president away from his phone.
That's about as likely as any of Kimmel's critics realizing the double standard set by President Trump's comments and social media posts. But that won't stop KImmel from using his late-night platform to call it out.
Add us as a preferred source on Google