On Tuesday night, Jimmy Kimmel used his Jimmy Kimmel Live! monologue to go after Republicans attempting to—yes, again—strip affordable medical coverage from tens of millions of people. More specifically, Kimmel took his anger out on Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA: DC office number 202-224-5824), who, in an appearance on the show back in May, promised Kimmel (and the American people) that he would never, ever, under no conceivable earthly circumstances support any healthcare plan that deprived American families of necessary care, regardless of income. Kimmel—not usually a big politics guy—has latched onto this issue with a righteous anger all the more effective for how unusual it is coming from a late night host seemingly more at home goofing on Matt Damon. And, on Wednesday’s show, Kimmel took his crusade against Cassidy even further after weathering a day of personal and professional attacks from Cassidy and others opposed to Kimmel’s very public stance.
Reiterating his claim that Cassidy—who, along with Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC: DC office number 202-224-5972)—not only co-sponsored a bill that calamitously jacks up costs for things like maternity and pediatric care, allows insurance companies to price those with pre-existing conditions right out of coverage altogether, and cuts hundreds of billions of dollars out of federal health coverage, “lied to his face” on national television, Kimmel let loose. Showing clips of Cassidy and other GOP politicians accusing Kimmel of not understanding the bill, Kimmel listed the long, long roster of medical organizations that call the Graham-Cassidy plan a piece of toxic garbage legislation, and reasserted his claim that Cassidy, “either doesn’t understand his own bill, or lied to me.”
Then taking aim at Republican Party news organ Fox News, the clearly pissed off Kimmel also singled out commentator Brian Kilmeade for abuse, especially. After the noted Fox blowhard played the “Hollywood elite” card in mocking Kimmel, Kimmel aired some seriously damning personal business, claiming that Kilmeade not only asked for (and received) a blurb from Kimmel for one of his books, but that noted Kimmel fan Kilmeade routinely “kisses my ass like a kid meeting Batman.” Also claiming that Kilmeade is constantly looking to enter “Hollywood elite” circles himself, Kimmel calls Kilmeade a “phony little creep,” and offers to “pound” Kilmeade the next time he sees him.
Kimmel, who became a vocal advocate of affordable health care after his son was born with serious medical issues earlier this year, went on to urge his viewers to flood their senators’ phone lines, noting that only sustained pressure from people as pissed off and fact-armed as he’s been can head off this latest attempt by Republicans to kill and bankrupt a whole lot of people. That, and perhaps some serious mockery of Republicans’ hypocrisy from an unexpected late-night source.