Late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel has criticized Vice President JD Vance following his response to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The tragic incident occurred last week during a campus event at Utah Valley University, where 22-year-old Tyler Robinson shot and killed Kirk. The assassination has sparked heated political debates about responsibility and blame in American politics.
Following Kirk’s death, Vance appeared on The Charlie Kirk Podcast from the White House, where he made strong statements about political violence in America. During the show, the Vice President claimed that “most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the far left.” This comment drew sharp criticism from various political commentators and late-night hosts.
According to Fox News, on Tuesday’s show, Kimmel launched a pointed attack on Vance’s response to the tragedy. “Meanwhile, many in MAGA-land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk. Yesterday, JD Vance, who himself famously called Trump ‘America’s Hitler,’ hosted The Charlie Kirk Podcast from the White House where he pointed his little, mascara-stained finger directly at the left,” Kimmel said during his monologue. The host clearly disagreed with Vance’s characterization of the situation.
Kimmel disputes Vance’s claims about political violence
Kimmel went on to challenge Vance’s statements about political violence statistics. After playing a clip of the Vice President’s comments, the comedian responded by saying “And by ‘statistical fact,’ he means complete bulls—.” The late-night host suggested that Vance’s claims were not backed by actual data or evidence.
The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host then brought up the January 6 Capitol riot to counter Vance’s narrative about left-wing violence. Kimmel referenced the calls to “hang Mike Pence” that were heard during the riot, pointing to what he saw as contradictions in the current administration’s messaging. He noted that Trump supporters had previously targeted the former Vice President with violent rhetoric.
Kimmel also questioned the consistency of how the administration portrays its political opponents. “The president and his henchmen are doing their best to fan the flames so they can attack people on the dangerous left. Are they a bunch of sissy pickleball players because they’re too scared to get hit by tennis balls? Or a well-organized, deadly team of commandos? It can’t be both of those things,” the host said, highlighting what he viewed as contradictory characterizations.
On Monday’s show, Kimmel had already criticized efforts to distance Robinson from the MAGA movement. He suggested that the alleged assassin was part of a “MAGA gang” and accused the White House of hitting “new lows” in trying to characterize Robinson as someone not aligned with Trump supporters. However, both FBI officials and Utah Governor Spencer Cox have stated that Robinson held a “leftist ideology” and had become increasingly radicalized in recent years. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino called it “an ideologically motivated attack” when speaking to Fox News.
Despite the political tensions, Kimmel did release a statement mourning Kirk’s death. “Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?” he wrote on Instagram. “On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.” This tragedy has highlighted the ongoing debates about political rhetoric and violence in American politics, with figures like Vance facing scrutiny for their past statements and current responses.
