Jimmy Kimmel on LA wildfires: ‘A sickening, shocking, awful experience’
Late-night hosts discussed the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles and infighting in the Maga movement as Donald Trump’s inauguration approaches.
Jimmy Kimmel
After cancelling his show last week and evacuating for the LA wildfires – one of which burned a mere two miles from his studio – Jimmy Kimmel returned to air on Monday night with an emotional message for his city. “It’s been a very scary, very stressful, very strange week in LA, where we work, where we live, where our kids go to school,” he said.
“Many of us had to leave our homes in a hurry. Some of our co-workers lost their homes,” he continued, voice breaking. “It’s been terrible. Everyone who lives in this city knows someone – most of us, multiple people, family, friends, colleagues, neighbors – whose houses have burned down. And the truth is, we don’t even know if it’s over. We had 100mph winds fueling this nightmare. And as of tonight, winds are back.
“I think I speak for all of us when I say it’s been a sickening, shocking, awful experience,” he added. “But it’s also been, in a lot of ways, a beautiful experience because, once again, we see our fellow men and women coming together to support each other. People who lost their own homes are out volunteering in parking lots for others who lost theirs.”
Kimmel took a moment to criticize the incoming president, who has blamed California for the disaster. “Tonight I don’t want to get into all the vile and irresponsible and stupid things our alleged future president and his gaggle of scumbags chose to say during our darkest and most terrifying hour,” he said. “The fact that he chose to attack our firefighters who apparently aren’t white enough to be out there risking their lives on our behalf – it’s disgusting but not surprising.
“Instead, I want to focus on thanking those men and women, because that’s [what] all we should be doing right now,” he concluded.
Jon Stewart
On The Daily Show, Jon Stewart also praised the “incredible moments of human compassion and kindness” in reaction to the wildfires, despite the “tragedy and sadness” ravaging LA.
“Neighbors looking after neighbors, charitable contributions pouring into GoFundMe from all areas of the world,” he said. But mainly, “the tireless and heroic actions of firefighters in the California region, some of them prisoners fighting with incredible bravery and tenacity”.
And he decried congressional Republicans who have demanded that strings be attached to federal disaster relief, with arguments such as: “[California] doesn’t deserve anything, to be honest with you, unless they show us they’re going to make some changes.”
“That is psychotic. There’s something wrong with you,” Stewart fumed. “I can do The Daily Show thing and run down all the congresspeople and senators on the right calling for conditions on disaster aid that absolutely had the opposite view when it was their state on the line.”
He started with one, before cutting the clip off. “Shut the fuck up,” he said. “Red states are always the tragic victims of circumstances outside of their control, and Democrats always vote for their aid. Whereas blue state disasters are a function of their flawed morality and policy. And if we help blue state survivors, what message will that send? What lesson will they learn?”
Stephen Colbert
“All of our hearts continue to go out to the people of Los Angeles,” said Stephen Colbert on The Late Show. “California, all of America sees you and is with you. And Americans are putting our money where our mouths are,” he continued, citing the more than $50m donated on GoFundMe so far.
One group not helping with the crisis: congressional Republicans, who want political strings attached to California’s federal fire aid. “That is an awful way to respond to any emergency,” said Colbert. “911, what’s in it for me?”
Colbert mocked the arguments of people like Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, “a state whose entire population is smaller than the morning rush crowd at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf on La Cienega”, Colbert quipped.
According to Barrasso, there should be demands on the aid because “the policies of the liberal administration out there, I believe have made these fires worse”.
“Yes, we must demand changes to clearly liberal policies like wind,” Colbert deadpanned. “First, it’s blowing one way then it’s blowing the other. It’s time to end the bisexual breeze.”
Seth Meyers
And on Late Night, Seth Meyers delved into a major Maga schism over immigration.
The infighting, Meyers noted, began almost immediately after Trump won the election in November, starting with his ill-fated pick of Matt Gaetz for attorney general, to sniping over Elon Musk’s influence, to nearly shutting down the government over a beef with the House speaker, Mike Johnson. Now, there’s a “civil war” in the Maga movement between Musk and the longtime Trump adviser Steve Bannon.
Over the holidays, Musk attacked fellow Maga movement leaders who wanted to end visas for highly skilled immigrants, usually hired by tech companies. Musk blustered on X: “I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.”
In response, Bannon said “we’re not having rule by nerds” on his podcast and called Musk a “man-child”.
“I’m really trying my best to find joy wherever I can amidst the darkness of a Trump presidency, so let me just say: I’m really fucking enjoying this,” said Meyers. “Elon Musk and Steve Bannon fighting finally answers the question: is there anything Republicans won’t blame on wokeness? Because the wokes’ hands are clean on this one.
“This is just fun!” he continued. “Elon Musk thought he could buy his way into Maga with his billions of dollars but now that Trump won, Bannon and his ilk can basically say ‘shut up, nerd.’”
He added: “Elon Musk is learning a lesson sports fans already know – just because you’re loyal to a team doesn’t mean a team will be loyal to you.”
