A week from Election Day, Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday night pleaded with moderate Republicans to reconsider voting for Donald Trump, using the former president’s words to make a case against his return to the White House.
The host of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” devoted his opening monologue to recounting the string of strange and witty “words” that have come out of his mouth over the past nine years. He urged the audience to weigh in on the 2024 presidential race as being about “goodness and security and democracy.”
“Here’s the thing. If he was hosting a podcast or selling knives at a farmer’s market — it’s funny — all these stupid, random rants of his — that would be great. But he’s got to lead us. People are listening to him. And the country is freaking out. Because, he’s Fixes being nuts,” Kimmel said.
“Remember all the people who waited in Dallas for JFK Jr. and his dad to come back to life — and then he’d serve as Trump’s running mate in ’24,” Kimmel said, but cited an outlandish conspiracy theory. Trump. “Donald Trump is the perfect meeting point between QAnon and QVC.”
Kimmel asked the audience to watch his monologue as a personal show of support for Republican friends and family members. He introduced himself to “The Man Show,” a funny and sophomoric unscripted comedy series he co-hosted with Adam Carolla for Comedy Central from 1999 to 2004.
“For those of you who haven’t watched — I’m Jimmy Kimmel. You might remember me from ‘The Man Show,'” he said. “We had — we had a good relationship back then. Beer, trampolines…good times, right? We had fun.
Kimmel pointed the finger at himself as he addressed the bitterness of the nation’s current political and cultural divisions.
“But now – the time is less fun. We’re a week from the election and we’re very divided. Not just because of Donald Trump – if I’m honest – because of people like me -,” he said. “I make a lot of jokes and insults … and it doesn’t always work. Am I biased against Donald Trump? Yes. Do I think there are good reasons why I’m biased against him? Yes. I’m probably wrong — but when you ask some of those reasons, You—you might agree with me—maybe even a little.”
Kimmel listed several former Trump associates and cabinet members who have disavowed him in the strongest terms. He was referring to the Trump campaign’s Sunday evening rally at Madison Square Garden, where speaker Tony Hinchcliffe hurled racist slurs and sparked a firestorm among Puerto Rican voters.
“But if you want more — I recommend watching his rally at Madison Square Garden — or listen to all three hours of his interview with Joe Rogan. Because most elections are about policy. This one is not. It’s about common sense. And security. And democracy,” Kimmel said.
“You know, I saw a shirt the other day that said, ‘I support Trump because he makes my bullies angry. And it’s funny. I get it. Sometimes it seems like nobody has a sense of humor anymore. But is that what we want for America? Just pissing each other off? I don’t want that.”
The monologue ended with Kimmel bringing out his longtime sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez to reinforce his points that Trump’s radical agenda on immigration is anti-American.
“This is Guillermo. He’s an immigrant — he’s become an American citizen. And this is a toast — to our fellow Americans,” Kimmel said as the two raised large mugs of beer.
Jimmy Kimmel, right, and sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez during the October 29, 2024 episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
Courtesy of ABC
