Jimmy Kimmel Reveals Why He Ignored Weinstein's Scandal Until Don Jr. Called Him Out: “First of All…”

Trigger Warning: This article contains themes of sexual harassment that some readers may find distressing.

Jimmy Kimmel is famous for his comical rants on current affairs. But President Donald Trump’s eldest son, Don Jr., was seemingly not impressed by the late-night host’s silence on the Harvey Weinstein scandal in 2017. Junior called out Kimmel by posting a string of tweets asking him about his thoughts on the accusations against Weinstein, per Variety. The comedian was quick on his feet and addressed Don Jr.’s concerns with a tinge of satire. 

For context, the Weinstein scandal spread like fire around the country when it first broke, and Don Jr. had encouraged Kimmel to change his course regarding his anti-Trump rants on his show. He even tweeted a photo of Barack Obama with the disgraced movie mogul at Kimmel and said, "Can’t wait to hear @jimmykimmel’s monologue on this tonight." Hence, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host made an appearance on Good Morning America to explain his position on the sexual harassment allegations against the 72-year-old studio mogul. 

Anchor Amy Robach also brought up Don Jr.’s antics on the ABC segment and wanted to know why Kimmel never addressed the massive sex scandal on his show. Initially mocking Don Jr., 46, as an 'idiot' and an ‘imbecile’, Kimmel explained, “First of all, the Harvey Weinstein thing, people like these false equivalences of, that somehow is equivalent to what happened in Las Vegas.” Furthermore, he clarified that Weinstein was neither his friend nor was Kimmel involved with the movie business. “And I’ll add that that story came out, I think, moments before we went to tape on Thursday, and we didn’t have a show on Friday,” the TV host said. 

Kimmel, who has been hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003, slammed Don Jr. for taking his comedy bits out of context that suggest his personal moral standings. He denied calling himself the ‘moral conscience of America’ or that his professional work indicated his morality. Nevertheless, the comedian did address the Weinstein debacle in a later episode. He joked, “What’s the difference between Harvey Weinstein and the Pillsbury Doughboy? When the Pillsbury Doughboy offers you a roll, he doesn’t ask you to watch him take a shower for it.” 

Interestingly, they also feuded on social media over this issue. It started when the then-president tweeted at Kimmel, "Late Night host are dealing with the Democrats for their very ‘unfunny’ & repetitive material, always anti-Trump! Should we get Equal Time?" The late-night host responded, "Excellent point Mr. President! You should quit that boring job – I’ll let you have my show ALL to yourself #MAGA."

This is when Don Jr. chimed into the conversation and asked Kimmel, "Thoughts on Harvey Weinstein? #askingforafriend." Kimmel then mocked the president's son by responding, "You mean that big story from the failing, liberal, one-sided @nytimes? I think it is disgusting." Don Jr. tweeted back, "Great I look forward to your monologues next week. You're probably due for a change if only for a moment or two." $

If you are being subjected to sexual assault, or know of anyone who is, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673).