ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel claims that before he tells a joke on air, the show goes through a rigorous process where they “sift through the facts and reputable sources” to make sure the point the joke is trying to make is accurate. The truth of that statement was dispelled on Thursday as Kimmel falsely accused a Kentucky Republican of trying to legalize incest in the state.
Kimmel teed up a local news clip by declaring, “And then we have a guy in Kentucky, Nick Wilson, who was a contestant on Survivor and won, who's also working hard to help solve the problems that hurt us most.”
The anchor reported that “Kentucky lawmaker and former Survivor winner Representative Nick Wilson has filed a bill that would remove the first cousin clause from Kentucky's incest law. House Bill 269 would remove first cousins from the list of familial relationships, meaning it would no longer be illegal to have sexual contact with those family members.”
Kimmel then returned to quip, “Look, the guy lives in a small town, and he’s a very hot cousin. What are you gonna do?”
Jimmy Kimmel Live is taped prior to broadcast, but that is no excuse because Wilson realized that he made a mistake on Wednesday and pulled the bill while announcing he would refile the correct version. Far from trying to legalize incest among cousins, the bill sought to add “add ‘sexual contact’ to the incest statute.”
Wilson admitted he made a mistake, will Kimmel do the same? Don’t count on it.
Here is a transcript for the January 18 show:
ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live!
1/19/2024
11:44 PM
JIMMY KIMMEL: And then we have a guy in Kentucky, Nick Wilson, who was a contestant on Survivor and won, who's also working hard to help solve the problems that hurt us most.
FEMALE LOCAL NEWS ANCHOR: Kentucky lawmaker and former Survivor winner Representative Nick Wilson has filed a bill that would remove the first cousin clause from Kentucky's incest law. House Bill 269 would remove first cousins from the list of familial relationships, meaning it would no longer be illegal to have sexual contact with those family members.
KIMMEL: Look, the guy lives in a small town, and he’s a very hot cousin. What are you gonna do?
