Jimmy Kimmel has garnered commendation after an old video resurfaced, highlighting his defense of Ivanka Trump from the inappropriate conduct of disgraced comedian Andy Dick, who made bold advances towards her on live television.
The video clip, originating from a 2007 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and recently shared on Reddit, captures Kimmel physically removing Dick from the set after he repeatedly touched Ivanka.
The footage shows the comedian, now 59, inappropriately touching the First Daughter’s leg while Kimmel, despite his show being suspended last week over comments concerning Charlie Kirk’s assassination, attempts to quell Dick’s behavior while continuing the interview.
However, less than a minute later than Dick tried touching the blonde beauty again, first trying to grab at Ivanka’s ponytail then touching her arm.
Kimmel eventually stood up and approached Dick, signaling for security assistance. He and a security guard then lifted Dick off the couch and removed him from the set, all while apologizing to Ivanka, who seemed to brush off the incident with laughter.
Dick and Ivanka were both appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at the time of the incident, with the First Daughter coming on as the second guest.
At the time, Kimmel told Extra that Dick greeted Ivanka by asking for a ‘big, wet kiss’ immediately.
Dick then began rubbing his hands up and down Ivanka’s thigh and knee while she tried to stop the unwanted touching as politely as possible.
Jimmy Kimmel has received praise after an old video shows him standing up for Ivanka Trump against Andy Dick’s inappropriate actions during a live broadcast.
In the footage from a 2007 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, recently posted on Reddit, Kimmel is seen removing Dick from the scene after he persistently touched Ivanka.
Reddit users were horrified by the clip, but praised Kimmel’s reaction to what was happening on the live show.
‘This is a great story but I think we’re missing the point that Kimmel here, tried to protect Trump’s daughter, threw her sexual harasser off the show, apologized to her and 20 years later Trump had him fired,’ one user shared to Reddit.
‘How ironic that Trump hates Kimmel for going after him yet he once kept Ivanka from getting harassed,’ raged someone else.
‘It’s almost like Kimmel is a decent person or something!’ cheered another Reddit user. ‘Seriously though, I hadn’t seen this. So many in his position would have yukked it up, made light of it, or awkwardly fumbled with it. Kimmel handled it decisively and matter-of-fact while still trying to entertain. Kudos.’
‘And having him on a live show is just asking for trouble,’ warned another.
Just a year after the segment aired, Dick was arrested after he allegedly groped the breasts of a 17-year-old girl after pulling her bra down and exposed her breast.
Kimmel’s show was suspended from public airwaves last Wednesday after suggesting MAGA supporters were trying to distance themselves from Kirk’s alleged killer Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from southern Utah.
During the controversial monologue last week, Kimmel said: ‘The MAGA Gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.’
The footage shows Dick, 59, rubbing the First Daughter’s leg with Kimmel tried to put a stop to Dick’s hassling, continuing on with the interview
Reddit users were horrified by the clip, but praised Kimmel’s reaction what was happening on the live show
Dick and Ivanka were both appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at the time of the incident, with the First Daughter coming on as the second guest
The late-night host also poked fun at President Donald Trump’s reaction to the shooting.
‘This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend,’ he said. ‘This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.’
However, the talk show will return to screens on Tuesday night, a week after he was suspended for remarks about Charlie Kirk’s murder, according to ABC.
The Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, said they’ll ‘return the show on Tuesday’ in a statement.
A Disney spokesperson said: ‘Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country.
‘It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.
‘We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.’
