Liberal late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert both took aim at President Donald Trump’s upcoming attendance at the White House Correspondents Dinner during their shows on Thursday.
“Folks, I try to remember not to be in Washington, D.C., as often as possible. But there is certainly no time I am there less than the weekend of the White House correspondents’ dinner, which is why, this Saturday, I will again not be, but, and it’s a big but. But for reasons that are not clear to me, many others will. If you’re not familiar with the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, it is, traditionally, a lighthearted night when the press and politicians get together, and, in my personal experience, stare in dead-eyed silence at the performer while the president mentally orders a hit by SEAL Team 6,” Colbert said.
Colbert then launched into a Trump impression.
“All you reporters are enemies of the people. I hate you, and if you call me, I will pick up every time. Seriously. Anytime, night or day. I will do that. I will. If I’m anywhere. If I’m on the toilet. If I’m having dinner. If I’m having dinner on the toilet, OK? That’s a real time-saver, folks,” Colbert said, portraying himself as the president.
JIMMY KIMMEL’S TRUMP, MELANIA DIGS AT OSCARS ‘FELL FLAT’ WITH CRITICS
“Stephen Colbert is a pathetic trainwreck with no talent and terrible ratings, which is exactly why CBS canceled his show and is booting him off the airwaves,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Kimmel decided to launch into his own White House Correspondents Dinner roast, comparing it to Kid Rock’s alternative Super Bowl halftime show.
“At the correspondents dinner, typically someone funny shows up and roasts the luminaries, the president, everyone. But our president is a delicate snowflake with the thinnest fat skin of any human being ever. And that means there’s going to be no comedian this year. So, I thought, why not take a page from the Kid Rock alternative halftime show and do some of the jokes a comedian might do if our president wasn’t a trembling drama queen who’s scared of comedy,” Kimmel said.
The liberal host took aim at several Trump administration officials, including Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr.
“I’m almost out of time. Brendan Carr has given me the light. Brendan Carr is the head of the FCC. Back in September, he tried to get my affiliates to throw me off the air. He said we could do this ‘the easy way or the hard way.’ Same thing he said to Lindsey Graham, 10 minutes ago in the all-gender restroom,” Kimmel said.
Both Colbert and Kimmel pointed out that a comedian wasn’t hosting the dinner, as they typically do, and famed mentalist Oz Pearlman will be hosting this year’s event.
During an opening monologue in March, Kimmel reported on Trump accepting an invitation to attend the dinner for the first time in his presidency after opting out of the event entirely during his first term. This will also be the first time Trump has attended the dinner since 2011, when he appeared as a celebrity.
Though Kimmel said Pearlman was an “amazing performer,” he called the decision not to hire a comedian a “cop-out.” He then jokingly made an appeal directly to Trump to have Kimmel host the event instead of Pearlman.
