Jimmy Kimmel Vamping Won Late Night This Week

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Hello there! It’s the start of Trump 2.0 – how are you holding up? I have a feeling it might not be great. Late-night TV seems to be sharing that sentiment too, as they’ve been saying for quite some time now that Trump isn’t exactly good material for humor. The rising threat of fascism and the climate crisis certainly aren’t helping either when it comes to providing laughs. In the case of After Midnight, the climate disaster has made it nearly impossible for comedy, as the show had to close down during the worst of the wildfires and only recently reopened this week. Welcome back, team!

These are challenging periods where humor becomes essential for coping. Jokes can start feeling monotonous, audiences grow more emotional, and everyone seems a bit on edge. Yet, it’s captivating when comedians express their apprehensions honestly. Humor is our primary tool to navigate through difficulties such as these. With rising costs affecting basic necessities, we find ourselves in a circus-like situation. So, indulge in the Melania hat humor and remember to monitor your blood pressure regularly.

5.
Jesse Eisenberg Lays On the Anti-Charm

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=N3D7minSy-c

Jesse Eisenberg thrives when things are chaotic, making this week particularly suited to him. In an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live! before the Oscar nominations, Eisenberg openly displayed his anxiety. His film revolves around a Holocaust history tour, and due to his guilt, he chose to take it as a family vacation instead of relaxation. It was genuinely refreshing to witness someone who embraces discomfort so well. And Jesse, I must admit, the Tay-Sachs joke had me chuckling – it was just me and one other person in the Kimmel audience, but we found it amusing.

4.
A Neologism Drops on The Daily Show

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=DvCmBOenfsQ

Bookings for late-night talks shows, consider inviting Brooke Harrington onto your program! She was an engaging guest on The Daily Show and coined the term “broligarchy,” which is proving to be incredibly relevant at this critical juncture in our nation’s decline. It can be challenging to find a way to make such disheartening observations entertaining for a talk show audience. However, since Masha Gessen on Full Frontal, we haven’t seen a combination that was quite as effective as hers.

3.
Mary Lynn Rajskub Freaks Out

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=fFtpB5Mrn4M

Mary Lynn Rajskub earns my fictional title “Realest Late-Night Moment of the Week” for exclaiming “Never get older!” during an episode of After Midnight. Taylor Tomlinson’s response, “We’re doing great, we’re fine. We’re on TV. We’re blonde,” left me in stitches. This particular episode felt like a comedy buddy reunion, given the relaxed and humorous atmosphere. It seemed as though Brian Posehn pulling out a burger from his jacket was also part of this laid-back mood.

2.
Lucy Liu Throws Them Bones

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=TTUHsOEsDvE

To begin with, the Tonight Show team deserves credit for crafting an impressive giant dice used by Lucy Liu in a game she played with the show’s audience, Jimmy Fallon, and The Roots band. In this interactive segment, they tried to guess her actions. If they managed to get three correct answers, everyone would receive a lesser version of Fallon’s Ben & Jerry’s ice cream (a tribute to his Late Night Snack, now discontinued).

The final question was whether Liu would roll an even or odd number. Amazingly, the audience got it right! It made for quite a humorous moment when the unpredictable element of random chance came into play… or did it? I can’t help but wonder if the dice were rigged to ensure everyone received ice cream. After all, I’d love it to be true!

1.
Jimmy Kimmel Plays for Time

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=jFB75MwWCCY

I found Jimmy Kimmel’s commentary during Carrie Underwood’s audio malfunction at the inauguration to be the best I saw all week. It stood out because it wasn’t overly edited or sped up like many late-night TV clips are. Instead, they let the awkwardness unfold naturally, with Kimmel providing calm, genuine commentary over the footage, and showing the raw discomfort of the moment. Since Kimmel has dealt with tough situations before, this felt right up his alley. I also enjoyed the ending bit with Jake Tapper joining in.

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2025-01-24 19:53