Monday may go down as one of the most chaotic days in Jimmy Kimmel Live! history. As the show endured a media and political firestorm, it also had to scramble to replace mentalist Oz Pearlman as one of the night's guests.
Pearlman was originally set to follow actor Anthony Anderson on Jimmy Kimmel's couch on April 27. But according to an updated guest lineup released Monday afternoon, Pearlman has been replaced by Jon Lovett, the former Obama speechwriter and co-host of the political podcast Pod Save America.
Pearlman had been booked as the night's entertainment at the White House Correspondents' Dinner over the weekend. Traditionally, that gig had gone to comedians who, in turn, treated the dinner as a roast of the current administration.
But Pearlman's performance was cancelled after an armed man reportedly breached a security checkpoint near the venue while Trump, members of his cabinet, and other high-profile guests were inside. In an Instagram post on Sunday, Pearlman called it the scariest moment of his life.
The incident brought renewed attention to Kimmel's bit from earlier in the week in which he hosted a mock WHCD, partly in protest of a non-comedian getting brought in to appease President Trump. The late-night host referred to First Lady Melania Trump as having the look of an "expectant widow."
That set off a wave of criticism that started on social media and soon spread to the White House as both Melania and Donald Trump called for ABC to fire Kimmel immediately. I’s unclear whether Pearlman’s removal from Monday night’s lineup is tied to the security scare, the growing political controversy surrounding Jimmy Kimmel, or an unrelated scheduling decision. Neither ABC nor the show has publicly commented on the change
It's possible that Pearlman would like to stay on President Trump's good side and avoid publicly appearing with Kimmel. It would make sense that Kimmel would seize the opportunity to talk with someone who was in the room when things escalated.
Jon Lovett's appearance changes the direction of the conversation. Expect the podcaster to come out in defense of Kimmel against those calling for the comedian's job. Lovett will also have something to say about anyone from the White House suggesting a change in rhetoric is needed, as he's had first-hand experience when it comes to recent political discourse.
The good news is that ABC did not cave in to any pressure regarding Kimmel's future. The network did not pull the show from the airwaves on Monday night, nor did it make any public statements indicating any consequences for Kimmel's joke.
Kimmel will have the chance to speak for himself on Monday night. Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs at 11:35 p.m. ET.
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