Jimmy Kimmel called out comedians who have thrown their arms around Donald Trump for purely cynical reasons.
The late-night host told Michelle Obama on her IMO podcast that he believes there are comedians who are “pretending to be something other than what they are in search of an audience.”
“It’s especially sad to me,” he continued, “because you look at, you know, you look at some of these, these comics and, you know, maybe they’re not doing so great and they, ‘I’m gonna pick up this MAGA torch, and maybe people will support me just because of that.”
The former first lady agreed, adding, “It’s important for people to know that for some of these folks, this is a game, this is a hustle, you know, more than you would think,” as Kimmel added, “more than not.”
She recalled experiencing that “hustle” firsthand when President Obama was in office. “We saw it in the White House, especially around the holidays,” she said, “when there would be a set of people who would demonize my husband on TV and then be in line for a picture with their grandchildren, essentially saying, ‘My granddaughter loves you.’ And, you know, and it’s like, if you believe the things that you believe—if I believe this about someone, I wouldn’t be in the line… So there’s a lot of wink-and-nodding that goes on.”
She concluded, “I think that it does a disservice to the people who are following people. It’s like, how much do you believe in this stuff you’re spewing? Because if you don’t believe it, don’t play with people’s lives like that.”
Kimmel said it often comes down to money.
“On some levels, it’s hard to understand, and others, it’s easy to understand because when it comes to how people make their money, they seem willing to compromise in a lot of ways.” He added, “What worries me most is when comedians warp their sensibilities for whatever reason.”
As for his sudden comedic pivot toward centering politics, Kimmel said he believes that not starting out as a political comedian is what gets him more blowback than it does others.
“I think I get a little more backlash than someone who maybe, like Jon Stewart, came out of the shoot a very outspoken liberal,” he explained, “because I didn’t talk about politics, because it wasn’t really part of my act. I was doing sports jokes and this kind of stuff, and I’m hosting The Man Show, which people were like, ‘Well, you’ve betrayed us.’”
“I’ve always been like this,” Kimmel said. “Whatever your parents are, usually that’s what you are. And my parents are very liberal people, you know, very, very, very liberal people. And I always have been. I’ve never voted for a Republican in my life. Just always been of this mindset. And I think people were just shocked to hear it because you assume somebody you like thinks like you.”
In contrast, Kimmel’s wife, Jimmy Kimmel Live head writer and producer Molly McNearney, revealed in November that she had cut off her MAGA family members after they voted for Trump.
Kimmel said it’s not always a hard line, however. “I have some very close friends who think very differently, and I’m OK with that. I understand that people have different life experiences and believe things... I know I personally believed certain things to be true for a long time in my life, and realized that they weren’t. And you have to allow for that.”
That sentiment should also apply to MAGA proponents who changed their tune, he explained.
“I posted something on Instagram about some of these, primarily, podcasters who now are having second thoughts about who they endorsed for president. And I’m grateful to them for being honest,” he said.
“It’s the cardinal rule of MAGA, is to never admit when you are wrong,” he continued. “First of all, it’s the opposite of Christianity. I mean, the basis of the whole faith, you know, is asking for forgiveness. And that seems to be cast aside. But I welcome those people. I don’t think there’s any way forward if we don’t.”
