Overview
- Kimmel, in his Monday monologue, answered critics on ABC by standing under a literal “gauze of comedy” after a Newsmax panel used the phrase while attacking his bit.
- He rejected claims from conservative commentators who tried to tie last week’s vampire joke to Rudy Giuliani’s health scare, calling the linkage unfounded.
- Giuliani was reported in critical condition with pneumonia at a Florida hospital over the weekend, and Kimmel said he hopes Giuliani lives another 100 years.
- Following recent complaints, Donald and Melania Trump had called for ABC to fire Kimmel over a separate joke about the First Lady that aired before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
- Kimmel said the Giuliani line was part of a long-running gag comparing the former New York mayor to a vampire, arguing that critics ignored the broader context of his recurring bit.