Topline
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mocked FCC Chair Brendan Carr and his ongoing clash with his network, ABC, in the opening segment of his show on Wednesday night, which featured an appearance by Robert De Niro—who has his own long-running feud with President Donald Trump.
Jimmy Kimmel and Robert De Niro mocked both President Donald Trump and FCC Chair Brendan Carr in a skit on Kimmel’s late night show.
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Key Facts
Kimmel, who is hosting his show from Brooklyn this week, began his opening monologue by calling out the president’s decision to rename AI “super intelligence” and mocking the voluntary accord signed by AI executives at the White House on Tuesday.
Kimmel pointed out that “United States” is misspelled as “Unites States” in the document under Trump’s name and quipped that “Could there ever be a better metaphor for this presidency than misspelling United States on a document about super intelligence?”
Kimmel then claimed that his show was “still being threatened by the FCC,” prompting De Niro to show up on stage with a baseball bat in his hand.
Kimmel introduced De Niro’s character as the chairman of the FCC without identifying Carr by name and then the actor threatened the late-night host mob-style while poking him with the baseball bat in his hand.
De Niro Runs Down Kimmel’s List Of Insults Aimed At Trump
De Niro told Kimmel he was at the show for a “routine inspection to make sure you are abiding by the terms of your license.” The joke referenced the FCC’s unprecedented move earlier this year to seek an early review of ABC’s broadcast licenses—amid Trump and Carr’s criticism of Kimmel’s show and the network’s morning talk show “The View.” A woman playing Trump’s aide, Natalie Harp, then appeared on stage and handed De Niro a dossier listing “192 instances” of Kimmel “poking fun at the president’s appearance.” The actor then ran through a list of various insulting nicknames. When the comedian interrupted him, De Niro started cursing Kimmel, telling him to “shut the f— up.”
De Niro Pokes Fun At The FCC’s Equal Time Rule
Last month, Kimmel claimed the FCC’s threats prevented him from airing an interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico on ABC. The interview was uploaded to Kimmel’s YouTube channel instead. The FCC’s “equal-time” rule requires broadcast networks to provide equal airtime to opposing political candidates, but a long-standing exception applied to news and talk show interviews. Earlier this year, the FCC sent out a notice suggesting that talk shows should not get the special exception, with Carr claiming they were “motivated by partisan purposes.” In Wednesday night’s skit, De Niro’s character made up his own interpretation of the equal time rule, saying every time Kimmel insulted the president, he had to follow it with something nice. “For example, if you were to say something like, ‘Trump wasn’t invited to Jeffrey Epstein’s birthday party cuz they were afraid he’d start eating the cake before the kid jumped out.’ Then you got to also compliment his penmanship in that naked lady birthday poem he didn’t write,” he explained.
further reading
Kimmel Says His Interview With Talarico Won’t Air On TV Due To FCC Threats (Forbes)
ABC Sues Trump Administration Over Alleged ‘Retaliatory Campaign’ (Forbes)
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