Megyn Kelly thinks she can teach Jimmy Kimmel a thing or two about comedy.
The combative conservative web show host jumped on comments Kimmel made during his appearance on Michelle Obama’s IMO podcast. “I think it would be embarrassing if we didn’t talk about this stuff,” Kimmel told Obama and co-host Craig Robinson when she praised him for “bravely” taking on Donald Trump.
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.’”
“I think you’re wrong, Jimmy,” Kelly said after playing the clip on Thursday.
She then rolled a 1979 clip of Carson replying to a question about why he preferred to steer clear of politics. “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?” Carson said in the clip.
“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,” Carson added. “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 commented after the clip ended, “Well, look at that.” She has shared the clip before on social media to criticize anti-Trump late-night hosts.
Carson’s comments are “the difference between humility and hubris,” she sneered. “One man is humble and understands his role and how valuable it is… But Jimmy Kimmel needs to feel important,” she went on, accusing the host of “smearing” Carson by “suggesting Trump is so uniquely bad even Johnny Carson would break that rule.”
If only Kimmel would stop talking about politics, Kelly added, then his show wouldn’t be “failing.”
“Of course, his show is failing—that’s what happens when you have Adam Schiff on as your guest instead of Tom Cruise,” she concluded. Kelly doesn’t specify by which marker Jimmy Kimmel Live is “failing,” however.
According to ABC, the show averages between one and two million TV viewers a night and often takes the number one late-night spot among adults ages 18 to 49. The host’s online presence only adds to the show’s reach, as millions tune in to Kimmel’s monologues on YouTube.
His 2024 election reaction monologue drew over 9 million YouTube views, a figure that goes against Kelly’s theory that audiences want less politics from the host. His first monologue post-suspension for criticizing MAGA surpassed 10 million YouTube views in under 24 hours, becoming his most-watched ever.
