Across the United States, left-wing protesters have been targeting and vandalizing Tesla vehicles in opposition to Elon Musk’s involvement in reducing government spending through support of Dogecoin. This week, Attorney General Pam Bondi labeled these actions as “domestic terrorism.”
Political violence remains one of the most significant threats in America today. For example, two separate assassination attempts were made on Donald Trump’s life last summer. And that’s only the incidents we are aware of.
Like Trump, Musk faces relentless criticism from Democrats and the mainstream media, with some even comparing him to Nazi figures without justification.
In the midst of this ongoing violence against Teslas, late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel took to his show to make light of the situation. During his opening monologue on Tuesday, he joked, “People have been vandalizing Tesla vehicles. New Tesla vehicle. Please don’t vandalize. Don’t ever vandalize Tesla vehicles,” followed by a long pause and laughter from the audience. The joke seemed to suggest, albeit indirectly, that Kimmel was humorously endorsing the vandalism.
While we won’t express exaggerated outrage, it’s important to acknowledge that “Jimmy Kimmel Live” is a comedy show, and humor about serious topics is a common part of the genre. Comedians often use current events as material, which is why the entertainment industry should have taken a stronger stance when Dave Chappelle faced backlash for his 2023 comments about the transgender community.
However, Kimmel’s smug delivery in this monologue doesn’t resonate well. Political satire tends to lose its charm when it only targets one side of the political spectrum.
Kimmel, in particular, is known for his strong liberal bias. According to the Media Research Center, no late-night host has a more noticeable disparity in the guests they invite, with Kimmel overwhelmingly favoring liberal figures. More than 98% of his political jokes during the last election cycle were aimed at Republicans.
Before the election, Kimmel admitted that he struggled to “mentally prepare” for a potential Trump victory, and he was an outspoken supporter of Kamala Harris, whom he believed was the key to solving America’s problems.
Had right-wing activists been vandalizing Bill Gates’ AI projects, it’s unlikely that Kimmel would have made similar jokes. This is why ABC’s late-night programming has lost much of its appeal. Kimmel’s predictable humor and repetitive style have led to poor ratings, reflecting a decline in his show’s relevance.
