Yesterday, we reported that Jimmy Kimmel had appeared on Michelle Obama’s IMO podcast. During their conversation, Kimmel patted himself on the back for taking late night in a political direction. Obama was also quick to praise Kimmel for using his show to attack President Donald Trump and anyone who supports him.
Now, the former Fox News host Megyn Kelly is firing back at both Kimmel and Obama in a big way.
Kimmel Whines To Obama
During his interview with Obama, Kimmel defended his choice to make his late night talk show a leftwing political propaganda tool.
“It just seems obvious and unavoidable,” said Kimmel, 58. “I just can’t imagine on those nights talking about anything other than what we’re talking about. I think it would be embarrassing if we didn’t talk about this stuff. It would be shameful.”
Kimmel went on to say that he “bristles” at criticisms from those who tell him how to do his job.
“My job is whatever I decide my job is or whatever my employer allows me to do,” Kimmel whined. “Comedians have been doing this for a long time. It just shows a great deal of ignorance when it comes to comedy to say, ‘Well, Johnny Carson didn’t do this.’ 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 Fires Back
This didn’t sit well with Kelly, 55. Indeed, she fired back by playing a 1979 clip of Carson in which the late night legend said, “Tell me the last time Jack Benny, Red Skelton, any comedian, used his show to do serious issues. That’s not what I’m there for. Can’t they see that? Or do they think that just because you have The Tonight Show that you must deal in serious issues? That’s a real danger. Once you start that, you start to get that self important feeling that what you say has great importance. Strangely enough, you can use that show as a forum. You can sway people. And I don’t think you should as an entertainer.”
Kelly pointed out that this clip from Carson shows just how wrong Kimmel really is.
“That’s the difference between humility and hubris,” she said. “One man is humble and understands his role and how valuable it is. It doesn’t make you lower not to be speaking out on these dicey issues. It actually makes you elevated in the eye of the public. You do such a service for them. You make them laugh in these difficult times.”
“The more difficult, the more needed laughter is,” Kelly concluded. “But Jimmy Kimmel needs to feel self important and therefore doesn’t care about that lofty goal anymore and smears Johnny Carson by suggesting ‘Trump is so uniquely bad, even Johnny Carson would break that rule.’ Listening to Johnny Carson, do you think he would break that rule?”
We can’t help but think that Carson would be the one who would “bristle” at just how political late night has become. No wonder virtually nobody is watching late night talk shows like Kimmel’s anymore.