Just days before former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was taken to the hospital in critical condition, Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about him being in “the grave.”
“So last night, America’s mayor, Rudy Giuliani, rose from the grave to weigh in on the ongoing drama involving me,” said Jimmy Kimmel Live host Kimmel, 58, in response to criticism of another joke he made prior to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Tuesday.
Additionally, Kimmel bluntly questioned whether the former GOP presidential candidate had any family members who could support him in his hour of need.
He asked, “Does this man have any family members who can come get him already?”
Next, he presented a video of Giuliani calling Kimmel “one of the most distasteful human beings in this country” on his podcast.
“I have to say, it hurts to be called distasteful by a man who farted his own trousers off in front of Borat’s daughter,” Kimmel said in response to the audience’s subsequent jeers at Giuliani’s comments.
Nevertheless, Kimmel persisted in playing the segment from Giuliani’s live-streamed podcast. “Kimmel was pretending that he was hosting the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which I think he did once, I don’t know.” Giuliani stated, “Probably once… and about four people probably watched it and he bombed like usual.”
“This is meant to be a comedian,” he went on. “Additionally, he resembles an inept jacka**.
Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, “rose from the grave to weigh in on the ongoing drama involving me,” according to a joke Jimmy Kimmel made on his show on Tuesday.
In a segment of Giuliani’s podcast, Kimmel referred to the late-night host as “one of the most distasteful human beings in this country.”
On Sunday, Giuliani (seen in January 2025) was taken to the hospital in severe condition.
“I have to say, it’s confusing to be called an incompetent jacka** by a man who accidentally held a press conference outside a dildo store, who doesn’t seem to have any understanding of when videos are running and when they aren’t and has a gallon of squid ink dribbling off the top of his head,” Kimmel retorted, dismissing Giuliani’s remarks.
Four days later, Giuliani’s spokesperson declared that he had been taken to the hospital.
“We do ask that you join us in prayer for America’s Mayor, Rudy Giuliani,” stated spokesperson Ted Goodman. “Mayor Giuliani is a fighter who has faced every challenge in his life with unwavering strength, and he’s fighting with that same level of strength as we speak.”
The reason for the 81-year-old’s hospitalisation in Florida is yet unknown.
However, on a livestream that was uploaded to his Facebook page on Friday night, he was previously heard sputtering and coughing.
“I won’t be able to speak as loudly as I usually do because my voice is a little under the weather,” he explained at the beginning.
A joke Kimmel made before to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in which he referred to First Lady Melania Trump as a “expectant widow” has drawn criticism.
Kimmel is still under fire for his joke about the First Lady, which was made just days before 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, a suspected gunman, opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in what appeared to be an attempt on his life.
In response, Melania attacked “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric,” saying it was “intended to divide our country.”
“The First Lady wrote on X Monday morning, “His monologue about my family isn’t comedy; his words are corrosive and deepen the political sickness within America.”
The president went so far as to demand that Kimmel be “immediately fired,” while she urged ABC to “take a stand” against him.
“This is something far beyond the pale,” he said on Truth Social. “I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said.”
“Disney and ABC should fire Jimmy Kimmel right away.”
However, Kimmel insisted that his joke was not about an assassination but rather the “age difference” between Trump and his spouse.
In addition, he expressed his condolences to all those affected by the shooting attempt at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Days before alleged gunman Cole Tomas Allen, 31 (pictured), opened fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in what appeared to be an assassination attempt, Kimmel made this joke.
The comic remarked, “It was a very light roast joke about the fact that she’s younger than I am and he’s almost 80.”
It was by no means a call to assassination. And they are aware of that.
He continued, “I’ve been very vocal for many years speaking out against gun violence, in particular.”
“However, I am aware that the First Lady had a difficult weekend, and it’s likely that every weekend in that house is quite stressful.”
Melania’s statements were subsequently misrepresented by Kimmel in order to disparage her husband once more.
I concur that we should reject discourse that is aggressive and hateful. I do, and I think talking to your husband about that would be a terrific way to start dialling it back,” he joked.
Kimmel went on to say that the First Amendment gave him and Donald Trump legal protection.
To the cheers of his crowd, he remarked, “By the way, I should point out Donald Trump is allowed to say what he wants to say, as you are you, as am I, as are all of us, because under the First Amendment we have a right as Americans to free speech.”
Nevertheless, eight Disney-owned ABC stations have been given early assessments by the Federal Communications Commission, which may result in the federal government revoking the stations’ licenses and eventually removing them from the air.
Josh D’Amaro, Disney’s new CEO, is facing his first crisis as he must decide how to handle the growing pressure to remove Kimmel.
ABC and Kimmel’s agents have been contacted by The Daily Mail for comment.
