Jimmy Kimmel took aim at conservative media on Monday after some commentators suggested his recent jokes were somehow connected to Rudy Giuliani’s hospitalization.
Giuliani was admitted to a hospital in Florida over the weekend and was reported to be in critical condition on Monday following complications from pneumonia.
Kimmel addressed the backlash during his opening monologue, mocking the idea that his comedy had anything to do with Giuliani’s condition.
“When I read this, I thought… I wonder if they’ll try to blame this on me,” Kimmel said. “And then, sure enough…”
He was referring to commentary circulating on Newsmax, where some pundits pointed to a joke he made days earlier, in which he compared Giuliani to a vampire “rising from the grave,” and questioned whether it was appropriate.
Kimmel dismissed the criticism, joking that he apparently now has the ability to predict future events. At one point, he leaned into a phrase used by a critic—who accused him of operating under the “gauze of comedy”—by staging a visual gag with a literal piece of gauze draped over him.
“In fact, I’m under the gauze of comedy right now,” he quipped.
He extended the bit, sarcastically claiming that his daily routine includes “looking into the future” to decide which jokes to write.
Despite the jokes, Kimmel briefly struck a more serious note, saying he hopes Giuliani recovers. He then returned to humor, referencing the former mayor’s widely mocked press conference outside a landscaping business in Philadelphia.
The segment highlights the ongoing tension between late-night comedians and partisan media, where jokes are often taken beyond their original intent and turned into broader political talking points.
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