Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is once again taking aim at late-night television hosts, this time singling out Jimmy Kimmel while arguing that modern liberal comedy has abandoned humor in favor of political activism.
Kennedy recently shared a satirical social media thread criticizing the state of late-night television, calling it a “superb dissection of the shocking collapse of liberal comedy.” In the post, RFK Jr. argued that comedians like Kimmel have shifted away from entertaining audiences and instead adopted a self-righteous political posture.
“This is the best explanation of how we’ve reached the nader [sic] where Late Night host Jimmy Kimmel can say ‘It’s not my job to be funny.’ As this author shows, he was hired as a comedian but he made himself a priest,” Kennedy wrote.
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Kimmel, however, did not engage with the broader criticism. Instead, he mocked Kennedy for misspelling the word “nadir.”
“It’s ‘nadir’ dummy. Now get back to spreading polio,” Kimmel responded on social media.
The exchange quickly reignited debate over the role of comedians in politics and whether late-night television has become too politically partisan. Critics of modern late-night hosts have increasingly argued that comedy programs now function more like ideological commentary shows than entertainment. Supporters counter that comedians have always commented on politics and current events.
This is not the first time Kennedy has criticized high-profile comedians for their handling of political and cultural issues. During his 2023 presidential campaign, RFK Jr. specifically called out figures like Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart for supporting COVID-era public health messaging and criticizing skeptics of vaccine mandates and lockdown policies.
Speaking on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Kennedy argued that comedians lost their edge when they stopped challenging authority figures and institutions.
On Joe Rogan, RFK Jr. exposes corporate funded comedians Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart for falling in line with the establishment’s COVID vaccine narrative and trying to silence & ridicule those that questioned it.
pic.twitter.com/u63ZelmK87— Melissa Tate (@TheRightMelissa) June 19, 2023
“I thought they stopped being funny because comedians are funny when they’re ridiculing authority, and they all had to stop doing that,” Kennedy said.
Jimmy Kimmel was among the most outspoken late-night hosts during the pandemic. In one controversial 2021 monologue, he mocked individuals who used ivermectin to treat COVID-19 and suggested hospitals should prioritize vaccinated patients over those who rejected the vaccine.
“That choice doesn’t seem so tough to me,” Kimmel said at the time. “Vaccinated person having a heart attack? Yes, come right in. We’ll take care of you. Unvaccinated guy who gobbled horse goo? Rest in peace, wheezy.”
Comments like those continue to draw criticism from conservatives and vaccine skeptics, who argue that late-night hosts fueled division during the pandemic instead of encouraging open debate.
Kimmel has also faced backlash over more recent political jokes. One controversy erupted after he joked that First Lady Melania Trump could become an “expectant widow,” a remark critics viewed as crossing a line given the heightened political tensions and recent threats against President Trump.
Melania Trump publicly condemned the comments, accusing Kimmel of promoting hateful rhetoric.
Superb dissection of the shocking collapse of liberal comedy. This is the best explanation of how we’ve reached the nader where Late Night host Jimmy Kimmel can say “It’s not my job to be funny.” As this author shows, he was hired as a comedian but he made himself a priest. https://t.co/tWEpVPA0zQ
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) May 24, 2026
“Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country,” she wrote in a statement. “His monologue about my family isn’t comedy — his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America.”
She also criticized ABC for continuing to support the host despite repeated controversies.
In another segment that drew criticism, Kimmel highlighted anti-ICE protests in which demonstrators used rubber s*x toys as props to mock immigration enforcement officers. While Kimmel framed the story as absurdist humor, critics argued it reflected how politically charged and combative late-night comedy has become.
