Jimmy Kimmel set the internet on fire with his Wednesday night monologue by firing shots at “phony little creep” Brian Kilmeade, over the Fox and Friends host’s comments on Kimmel’s Tuesday night monologue — in which he slammed Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy for “lying right to his face” about healthcare reform when he had him on the show back in May. Kilmeade in turn defended the GOP bill by dismissing Kimmel as part of the “Hollywood elite” and accused him of trying to push his politics on the rest of the country.
“And you know, the reason I’m talking about this is because my son had an open heart surgery, then has to have two more,” Kimmel said Wednesday night. “And because of that, I learned there are kids with no insurance in the same situation. I don’t get anything out of this, Brian, you phony little creep.” Kimmel also accused Kilmeade of “kissing his ass” and clamoring to be a member of the Hollywood elite himself.
It appears as if this is an all out war now, because Kilmeade responded to Kimmel on Thursday morning. While at first he seemed as if he was taking the high road by wishing well for Kimmel’s son, it soon became apparent that his words were dripping with smarm:
“I hope your son gets better. I hope your son gets all the care he needs. I’m glad you’re interested, you’re doing a great job bringing the dialogue out. But you should actually do what we’re doing. Talk to the people that wrote it, Senator Graham, Senator Cassidy, asking the tough questions to Michael, and we’ll see where we go from here.”
Kilmeade went on to subtly mock Kimmel’s Fox NFL Sunday appearances before he landed Jimmy Kimmel Live, noting that “even when you weren’t getting great ratings I thought you and the show were excellent” — while also refuting Kimmel’s claim that he ever kissed his butt.
The two men’s personal history aside, it can be argued that Kimmel already did talk to “the people who wrote the bill” and that said people were dishonest about their intentions with it. Maybe Kimmel has decided that the time for talk is over and the time for action is here.