Megyn Kelly isn’t one to stop criticizing comedians who make political jokes, and her latest target is Jimmy Kimmel. The comedian, whose show was previously suspended over jokes that offended the MAGA base, President Donald Trump and his administration, has drawn Kelly’s ire recently for comments he made on Michelle Obama’s IMO podcast, reports Huffpost.
Despite the previous suspension, Kimmel hasn’t abandoned his signature comedy style since returning — political jokes that often deliver scathing criticism of how Trump is leading America.
On the podcast, Kimmel said, “I think it would be embarrassing if we didn’t talk about this stuff.”
He added, “It just shows a great deal of ignorance when it comes to comedy to say, ‘Well, Johnny Carson didn’t do this.’ Like, well, first of all, we’re living in a different time. And secondly, how do you know Johnny Carson wouldn’t do it? I bet Johnny Carson would talk about it. I bet Johnny Carson would be absolutely mortified by what’s going on.”
Kelly took offense at Kimmel invoking Carson’s name and claimed he was wrong. To back her point, she shared a 1979 clip of Carson explaining why he avoided politics. In it, Carson said, “That’s not what I’m there for. Why do they think that just because you have a Tonight Show, you must deal in serious issues? That’s a danger. It’s a real danger. Once you start that, you start to get that self-important feeling that what you say has great import. And you know, strangely enough, you could use that show as a forum. You could sway people. And I don’t think you should as an entertainer.”
Kelly wholeheartedly agreed and accused Kimmel of “smearing” Carson’s name by using him to defend political comedy. Slamming Kimmel, she said, “One man is humble and understands his role and how valuable it is … But Jimmy Kimmel needs to feel important.”
Kelly seemed upset that, despite Carson clarifying his stance against political jokes, Kimmel implied Trump’s presidency was so dire that even Carson would cover it. She then bashed Kimmel’s show, saying, “Of course, his show is failing — that’s what happens when you have Adam Schiff on as your guest instead of Tom Cruise.”
However, Kelly didn’t specify which metrics showed the show’s failure. Kimmel’s program draws a huge audience and often claims the No. 1 spot among late-night shows. The cancellation sparked a huge backlash, forcing the network to reverse course and bring him back. His first post-return monologue topped 10 million YouTube views in under 24 hours, his most-watched video ever.
Kelly’s attack on Kimmel is nothing new. Still, Kimmel seems unbothered, sticking to his comedy despite how it riles the MAGA crowd.