Jimmy Kimmel Mocks JD Vance For 'Chaperoning The World’s Creepiest Prom King in Washington'

Jimmy Kimmel has been on a roll lately mocking President-elect Donald Trump’s inner circle. This week, he turned his attention to Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, who has been noticeably absent from Trump’s public outings. During his segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the late-night host joked about Vance’s appearance with former Congressman Matt Gaetz in Washington, D.C.

Showing a picture of Vance and Gaetz together, Kimmel quipped, "There they are: JD and VD together...Poor J.D. Vance. Trump’s off going to rocket launches with Elon Musk, he’s going to UFC. JD Vance is stuck chaperoning the world’s creepiest prom king in Washington." Gaetz, earlier nominated as Trump’s attorney general, sparked backlash due to ongoing allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use. Before withdrawing his candidacy, Gaetz met with Republican senators to gain support for his confirmation. Accompanied by Vance, he met with lawmakers Lindsey Graham, Josh Hawley, and John Thune, among others.

According to Decider, Kimmel mocked Trump's earlier picking of Gaetz by airing a clip of Senator Tommy Tuberville. “He is not gonna pick somebody who is a criminal,” Tuberville had said about Trump. Kimmel responded, “Tommy, I got some news you might want to hear. The President is a criminal, 34 times over. A convicted criminal.” He added, “He is not looking for a cabinet. He is looking for cellmates.”

In a previous episode, Kimmel joked about Vance’s absence from Trump’s high-profile outings. He stated, "The big question for me was, where is J.D. Vance? Didn’t he used to be Trump’s running mate like two weeks ago?" In the same episode, Kimmel contrasted Vance’s exclusion with Trump’s 'boys’ night out' activities, such as attending hosting gatherings aboard his private plane. Vance was notably also absent when Trump returned to Madison Square Garden for the UFC, an event attended by Tulsi Gabbard, one of Trump's new cabinet picks. 

While Trump has been spending considerable time with Musk and other cabinet picks, Vance was last seen with him on election night and has not made any public appearances with him since. According to The New York Times, Vance has instead taken on a more discreet, behind-the-scenes role in the two weeks following the election, during which he conducted 149 interviews in under four months on the campaign trail.

Reports suggests that Vance may have been sidelined by Trump's inner circle given their strenous past relationship. Despite this, Vance remains active on X (formerly Twitter), where he continues to voice support for Trump’s new cabinet selections. He is also reportedly on good terms with Donald Trump Jr. and shares a positive relationship with Musk. As for Gaetz, he has been replaced by Pam Bondi, a longtime ally of Trump and one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial.