Jimmy Kimmel on Thursday night addressed backlash from his mocking the fact that incoming DHS boss Markwayne Mullin used to be a plumber.
In Tuesday’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! monologue, the host of ABC’s late-night program noted that before Mullin—ousted Homeland SecuritySecretary Kristi Noem’s replacement—was elected to the Senate, he “was a low-level MMA fighter, and a plumber.
“That’s right—we have a plumber protecting us from terrorism now,” Kimmel said. “It worked for Super Mario. Why not Markwayne?”
Kimmel’s words were promptly spun into a narrative that he was being “elitist” and disrespectful of blue collar workers.
The hosts of Fox News’ The Five even invited President Donald Trump to weigh in on Plumbergate when he called into Thursday’s show. Trump responded with his usual laundry list of digs at “no talent” “loser” Kimmel, before saying he regards Mullin as being, well, “country smart.”
Kimmel in his Thursday monologue acknowledged, “The president and his pals in the MAGA media are not happy with me right now. Trump even called in to Fox to complain about me tonight.
“His apple-polishers are in a tizzy because I made light of the fact that his new head of Homeland Security, before he was a senator, was a plumber… Which is not necessarily the kind of resume you might hope for, for the person in charge of protecting us from terrorism.
“Of course, they decided to twist that to say it was an insult to plumbers, which it was not,” Kimmel continued. “I wouldn’t put a plumber in charge of Homeland Security for the same reason I wouldn’t call a five-star general to pull a rat out of my toilet, okay? We all have our areas of expertise.”
After playing a clip of righteous indignation-filled Newsmax anchor Rob Finnerty linking the plumber comment to illegal border crossings and the pursuit of the American dream, Kimmel said, “Let me make this very clear: I’m not upset that the head of Homeland Security used to be a plumber. I’m upset that he isn’t still a plumber.”
Kimmel then played a lengthy montage of Fox News hosts and other conservative personalities throwing shade at congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over the years, for her previous occupation.
“I distinctly remember some very serious concerns resume-wise when it came to a certain former bartender from New York…,” Kimmel noted. “On behalf of bartenders everywhere, we anxiously await your apology. You do the bartenders, I’ll do the plumbers, okay?”
