Meghan McCain has criticized Jimmy Kimmel, calling his influence on the country negative following his jokes about Spencer Pratt’s unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Los Angeles.
“Jimmy Kimmel is a mean, heartless person, and no amount of on-air tears will change my mind or anyone else’s,” McCain stated on X, expressing her disdain for the 58-year-old late-night host.
McCain, known as the daughter of the late Senator John McCain, further remarked, “The day Jimmy Kimmel leaves television will be a better day for the nation.”
The Phoenix, Arizona native made her remarks following Kimmel’s monologue Tuesday, in which he recalled how Pratt – a Republican who had been endorsed by President Donald Trump – had vowed to vacate the area should he lose.
Spencer Pratt, who is 42, was knocked out of the mayoral race in the primaries, losing to current Mayor Karen Bass, 72, and city councilmember Nithya Raman, 44. In response, Kimmel offered a sarcastic assist with Pratt’s plans to leave Los Angeles.
Kimmel noted, “He clearly promised to move out of L.A. if Karen Bass or Nithya Raman were elected mayor. Spencer, if you’re watching, we’re truly sorry to see you go,” adding a touch of humor to the situation.
Meghan McCain, 41, slammed Jimmy Kimmel, 58, as bad for the country in reaction to the late night host’s mockery of Spencer Pratt’s loss in his run for mayor of Los Angeles
The daughter of late U.S. Senator John McCain jabbed at the late night host on X
The host continued, “You said you were leaving, and I know financial times might be tough, especially with out-of-state donations drying up.”
‘Moving is expensive. So to help you out we rented you a U-Haul.’
He added, ‘We do know we’re going to miss the hell out of you. You’re a man of your word and you’ve got to go.’
Kimmel showed off how he had a U-Haul truck decorated with balloons, a cutout of Pratt looking upset and a sign reading, ‘Just defeated.’
He said of the moving vehicle, ‘Our staff spent the whole day decorating for you – and everybody will notice you and wave goodbye as you leave.’
Kimmel said he hoped Pratt and his spouse Heidi Montag would be ‘happy wherever’ they wound up.
Pratt was initially in position to advance in the Los Angeles mayoral primary, but fell behind both Bass and Raman amid an extended counting process.
McCain’s sharp comments drew a varied response on social media, as some agreed with the one-time panelist on The View in her assessment of Kimmel and his impact on American society.
Kimmel in his monologue Tuesday recalled remarks Pratt made vowing to move if he lost
Kimmel showed off how he had a U-Haul truck decorated with balloons to help Pratt move
The truck also featured a cutout of Pratt looking upset and a sign reading ‘Just defeated’
McCain’s sharp comments drew a varied response on social media, as some agreed with the former View panelist in her assessments of Kimmel and his impact
‘If we could just remove his show and The View the world would be a better place!’ one user commented.
Another said that ‘it’s a travesty that ABC gets privileged use of the public airwaves for divisive, narrow-minded and tendentious shows like this.’
One user suggested that Kimmel’s show was too politically-focused, saying that ‘broadcast licenses need to be revoked’ and that ‘people that want to watch this stuff can get cable or stream it.’
One user said that the late night platform went from ‘shows that everyone looked forward to,’ to ‘a medium for those filled with hatred and mean-spiritedness.’
Others said McCain was misguided in directing her ire at the TV comedian – described by one commenter as ‘a decent & funny guy’ – and not Trump, recalling how he infamously said her late father was ‘not a war hero’ while campaigning in 2015.
One user asked, ‘Has anyone ever heard Meghan defend her father @SenJohnMcCain against the awful lies that Trump said about her father????
‘My guess is she’s silent on that!’
Another user said, ‘You support Donald Trump! He says meaner things about your dead father you f***ing hypocrite!!! WHAT THE F*** IS WRONG WITH YOU???’
Others said McCain was misguided in directing her ire at the TV comedian and not Trump, recalling how he said her late father was not a war hero while campaigning in 2015
A commenter reminded McCain of the relative differences in power and influence Trump and Kimmel have.
‘Right, because Jimmy Kimmel is *checks notes* in the entertainment industry and doesn’t run our country,’ the user said. ‘F*** off Meghan.’
Said another commenter, ‘It’s wild how people who voted for Donald Trump – who’s said and done much worse – are so violently triggered by a late night host’s joke.
‘Only difference is that Jimmy Kimmel runs a TV show while Donald Trump runs a country.’
