MAGA fans are tearing into Jimmy Kimmel on social media for poking fun at the new DHS secretary’s former profession.
Markwayne Mullin was sworn in as the new leader of the Department of Homeland Security on March 24, replacing controversial former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
On Tuesday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host joked that President Trump had a “whole new generation of thinkers lined up.”
“Before he was elected to the Senate, Markwayne Mullin was a low-level MMA fighter and a plumber,” Kimmel grinned. “That’s right, we have a plumber protecting us from terrorism now.
“Well, it worked for Super Mario, why not Markwayne,” he continued.
During the show, Kimmel also suggested that Trump should have a “little more fun” with his nominations to the DHS Secretary position.
“Instead of Markwayne, how about Lil Wayne for Homeland Security,” he asked, as an image of Trump and the rapper flashed up on the screen.
Kimmel added, “At least we could get a concert out of it, right?”
On social media, GOP lawmakers and influencers tore into Kimmel over his jokes about Mullin’s profession.
“I prefer plumbers to woke & unfunny comedians,” Senator Ted Cruz wrote on X.
“The elites too often look down their noses at blue collar, middle America,” Representative Mike Collins wrote on X. “They try to demean a man by calling him a plumber.”
Journalist Chris Cillizza wrote on X, “Not a great look.”
Senator Cynthia Lummis branded the joke as “shameful” on social media.
Several X users also expressed their anger at the joke, with one labelling the remark “unfunny.”
“I can’t wait for the day that Kimmel will be in need of a plumber,” another wrote.
Mullin took over his family’s business, Mullin Plumbing, in 1997, according to the Sequoyah County Times. At the time, the business had just six employees.
Under his leadership, the company became the largest plumbing business in Mullin’s home state of Oklahoma by 2011, according to Tulsa World.
However, speaking on The Elephant in the Room, Mullin admitted that he “never wanted to be a plumber.”
“I’d probably say that I was a little bit embarrassed about being a plumber,” he added.
Despite that, Mullin said he and his wife had a “vision” to bring “pride” to the profession, including providing branded trucks and uniforms to their workers.
In his youth, Mullin had been a keen wrestler and went on to attend Missouri Valley College on a wrestling scholarship.
However, according to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Mullin decided to leave the sport because of a recurring shoulder injury.
In 2016, the Oklahoma Chapter of NWHOF presented Mullin with an “Outstanding American” award, recognizing his success as a wrestler.
The now-DHS Secretary served as the U.S. representative for Oklahoma’s second congressional district from 2013 until 2023. From 2023 until 2026, he served as the state’s junior senator.
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