It must be hard for Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert. As Joe Biden’s presidency hits year one, crumbling and unpopular, the two late night Democratic hacks are in a quandary. They could speak truth to power and aggressively mock Biden. But that would require comedic courage. On Wednesday, Jimmy Kimmel spent the first five minutes of his monologue on Donald Trump, who it should be pointed out, is no longer President.
Reminiscing about the good old days, Kimmel attacked, “One year ago today, Donald Trump was still in the White House. Throwing chicken nuggets at the TV. One year from today, he could be in jail.” He added, “We have COVID. We have flu. The only virus we haven’t caught yet is Donald Trump.”
The late night comics idea of Biden comedy are stale jokes that Jay Leno would have rejected. Talking about the Democrat’s rare press conference, Kimmel lamely attempted, “Biden took question after question about Russia, COVID voter rights. He really got into why the Denny's breakfast menu is so sticky all the time. “
In total, Kimmel spent five minutes and 14 seconds on Trump or Trump associate jokes. He then offered just one minute and 25 seconds on Biden jokes. Over on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, CBS's activist comedian offered another version of the Denny’s joke:
I know it doesn't seem like it's been that long, but truth is, tomorrow is one year of Joe Biden's presidency. And to mark the occasion — [Applause.] Yeah, give it up. Hell of a year. Hell of a year for everybody. To mark the occasion, he held a press conference today. Then again, he's 79. I guess he's always going to go for the early bird special.
That was it for Colbert, as far as Biden jokes. As though they all shared the same writers, NBC's Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon came out with the same gentle Biden humor: “The press conference kicked off at 4:00 p.m.. You can tell it was really important for Biden, because that's right in the middle of dinner. Four o’clock is when I put my jammies on.”
However, he at least zinged: “But here's some good news. Madame Tussauds just unveiled their new figure of President Biden. Take a look at this. Weirdly enough, that wax statue has a 60 percent approval rating.”
The refusal to speak truth to power on CBS’s Late Show was sponsored by Vicks. On Jimmy Kimmel, it was McDonald’s. Click on the links to let them know what you think.
CBS's Late Show With Stephen Colbert
01/10/2022
11:37 p.m. EasternSTEPHEN COLBERT: I know it doesn't seem like it's been that long, but truth is, tomorrow is one year of Joe Biden's presidency. And to mark the occasion — [Applause.] Yeah, give it up. Hell of a year. Hell of a year for everybody. To mark the occasion, he held a press conference today. Then again, he's 79. I guess he's always going to go for the early bird special.
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ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live
01/19/2022
11:35 p.m. EasternJIMMY KIMMEL: One year ago today, Donald Trump was still in the White House. Throwing chicken nuggets at the TV. One year from today, he could be in jail.
(....)
KIMMEL: We have COVID. We have flu. The only virus we haven’t caught yet is Donald Trump.
KIMMEL: President Biden today gave his first press conference in a long time. And it went on for a long time. It may be still going. For almost two hours, Biden took question after question about Russia, COVID voter rights. He really got into why the Denny's breakfast menu is so sticky all the time. In his opening remarks, the President said there is "No cause for panic." Whenever I hear there's no cause for panic, I panic. I hadn't even thought about panicking until he told me there was no cause for it. But he was optimistic Overall. He said we're going to see more change in the next ten years than we've ever seen. And he's been keeping that change in a mason jar in the trunk of his Model T. The president took a lot of questions, too many questions. You know how at the end of most press conferences, the reporters are yelling "Mr. President, Mr. President!" At the end of this one, they were like, "Okay. Bye. We're good.
KIMMEL: Madame Tussauds unveiled their new wax figures of the President and the Vice President. You can see they did quite a good job. Probably the first time a wax figure appears more lifelike than the person they based on.
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NBC's Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
01/19/2022
11:36 p.m. EasternJIMMY FALLON: The press conference kicked off at 4:00 p.m. You can tell it was really important for Biden, because that's right in the middle of dinner. Four O’Clock is when I put my jammies on.
FALLON: But here's some good news. Madame Tussauds just unveiled their new figure of President Biden. Take a look at this. Weirdly enough, that wax statue has a 60 percent approval rating.
