Do as I say, not as I do. It's practically the Limousine Liberal Marching Anthem, and it made a grand reappearance last night.
Jimmy Kimmel, a week ago, emphasis mine:
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it."
Jimmy Kimmel last night, emphasis mine:
Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air tonight. Here's what the late-night host had to say in response to the backlash he received for saying Charlie Kirk's assassin was part of MAGA:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 24, 2025
"It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man... For those who think I did… pic.twitter.com/MHk4KMhxdk
"It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man... For those who think I did point a finger, I get why you're upset... I don't think the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents ANYONE. This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution, and it isn't. Ever."
Of course that's how Kimmel feels ... now. When Kimmel bought into and amplified the lunatic-fringe theory that Tyler Robinson was a "MAGA asshat," a term that one of his staffers later used, he was happy to paint conservatives with that broad brush. When Kimmel found out that he had a severe case of cerebro-rectalitis, suddenly everyone is a free agent. Now Kimmel wants to lecture everyone on jumping to conclusions and linking violent "sick persons" to the political movement to which they belong. Pass.
And notice that Kimmel offered the standard non-apology apology in this statement. He doesn't admit that he actually did point a finger in that accusation. He just addresses people who "think I did point a finger." Kimmel then says that he'd understand why people would be upset for thinking that he'd pointed a finger at them. He won't admit that he actually did point a finger at them, accused them of exploiting the murder, and ridiculed them. Thus, Kimmel lets himself off the hook for any responsibility for his words, let alone the need to admit to them and apologize for them.
This is a cowardly dodge by Kimmel, or as Scott Jennings called it, pathetic:
You used the phrase “MAGA gang” & then lied about what happened. You definitely intended to make light of it and mislead the American people. Pathetic. https://t.co/lxVbyCNVUp
— Scott Jennings (@ScottJenningsKY) September 24, 2025
All Kimmel did last night was reveal a complete lack of character. Anyone can make a mistake, or get carried away with partisan passion, or even fall for a hoax. A man of character would have stood up and said, "I was wrong when I blamed this assassination on the Right and accused them of performative outrage rather than genuine anger. I never should have said that, and I regret it. I hope to do better." Instead, Kimmel refused to accept responsibility while blaming the audience for understanding exactly what he said and meant. All this while making the hoary argument that some of my besties are conservatives, so I can't possibly be bigoted.
I'd call this a disappointment, but Kimmel's character has been apparent for a very long time. No one else expected anything different, did they?
Oddly enough, late-night TV gave us a look at real public accountability thirty years ago. Recall when the actor Hugh Grant got caught with a prostitute in a vice sting? Grant went on The Tonight Show to admit to what he did and to say it was wrong and he was sorry for having done it. For those who don't recall it, the media environment around this story was nuts, and Leno described it in his opening monologue:
Grant gave a classy and sincere apology, and people responded with forgiveness. Kimmel gave a self-serving, blame-shifting, utterly false spin. Want to guess how this will be received?
The question now will be whether Sinclair and Nexstar will be satisfied with Kimmel's farce of a non-apology. Nexstar might decide to put the show back on the air, but Sinclair had very specific demands, one of which was an actual apology on-air, along with atonement via "meaningful contributions" to Turning Point USA and the Kirk family. Bob Iger probably already has the Disney checkbook out to cover the latter, but this clearly isn't what Sinclair had in mind from Kimmel's on-air address of the situation. Stay tuned, or don't while the Sinclair/Nexstar pre-emption continues.
Update: Charlie Kirk's producer is livid:
Yes, Jimmy got emotional. So what. He’s emotional for himself because he almost torched his entire career.
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) September 24, 2025
Kimmel is an unrepentant liar who tried to blame Charlie’s assassination on the part of the country that just spent the last 2 weeks praying and holding vigils. What he’s…
Kimmel is an unrepentant liar who tried to blame Charlie’s assassination on the part of the country that just spent the last 2 weeks praying and holding vigils. What he’s really saying is that he still thinks it’s fair game to slander conservatives. He would rather advance his own political and cultural agenda than confront the truth. The truth is that his own side has been fanning the flames of political assassinations for years. The truth is that someone on the left picked up a gun and murdered someone on the right who advocated for peaceful debate.
It’s critical that liars admit they lied. There can be no restoration without that. Anything short of that is a fake and scripted cry line designed to endear him to his fans, not to make right the wrong he committed.
Well said. It's pretty much what I wrote above, only put more concisely and effectively.
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