Boy, that’s a headline I never thought I’d write. I detest Jimmy Kimmel. I loathe him. He is the most revolting of all the Left-Licking late night and cable progressive comics, worse than Colbert, Maher, Samantha Bee, all of them. All of them combined. He is an ongoing blight on the ethics of American society, and yet he is self-righteous in the process. I long ago decided that the Emmys were even more rigged and less ethical than other award shows, so I never watch the broadcast. Kimmel was the host this year, so that made the show even less appealing, if indeed that is possible. Thus I missed an incident which, had I witnessed it in real time, would have ensured that I wrote this post before this one, from yesterday: “A Case Study Of How Race-Baiting And Race-Bullying Undermines “Diversity” And “Inclusion”: The New Yorker’s Cartoons.” 

For they are essentially about the same phenomenon.

What happened was this: Will Arnett, before presenting the nominees for best writing in a comedy series, dragged a supposedly unconscious and drunken Kimmel onto the stage with him.  Arnett told the audience that  Kimmel had lost again as a nominee in the late night comedy category, and  “he just got into the skinny margaritas back there.” The host who is chagrined at not getting a award in the show he is hosting is an old, old joke: Bob Hope used it every year at the Oscars. Kimmel was just adding a new wrinkle.The idea was for him to lie there “passed out” during the whole comedy writing award sequence. See, it was a comedy award, and Kimmel was joking. But Quinta Brunson’s name was read when the envelope was opened, as the winner for her ABC series “Abbott Elementary.” Brunson is black.

Kimmel, as was the plan and the bit, remained “dead drunk” at her feet. Kimmel maye be a toxic asshole, but he’s still a pro. He had committed to the gag, and the rules of comedy dictate that he had to see it through. (Mel Brooks tells the story of when he was a guest on a TV panel show hosted by Bill Cullen, whom Brooks didn’t know. After the taping, Cullen left his podium to walk over to the panelists, and was limping noticeably. Brooks, thinking Cullen was fooling around, proceeded to limp in the same manner as he approached Cullen. One of the panelists called to Brooks, “He has an artificial leg!” Brooks called back, “Too late!” and continued his limp.) Arnett dragged Kimmel off after Brunson finished her speech. The writer got it, and did not appear upset about the gag at all,  even including Kimmel in her list of thank-yous.

Ah, but Brunson is black, you see, so no joking is allowed—even when the award was for comedy writing.

“Jimmy Kimmel not moving to get out of Quinta Brunson’s way is a (shitty, selfish, bullshit) choice,” tweeted Andy Dehnart, who is secretary of the Television Critics Association. Author and black activist Ernest Owens tweeted, “Can’t lie, I’m still annoyed that Jimmy Kimmel’s annoying ass was on the ground trying to take attention away from Quinta Brunson’s historic victory.”  New York magazine’s E. Alex Jung posted, “Kimmel better get his ass out of the way for Quinta.”  Huffington Post editor Philip Lewis wrote, “Jimmy Kimmel should have left the stage during Quinta’s speech. Highly disrespectful.” Podcaster Sam Sanders tweeted, “Kimmel playing dead on the ground right next to a black woman accepting her rightful place in the future of TV is such a stinging metaphor.” A black professor and author issued this:

Black theologian and author Candace Benbow tweeted,

Racist, sexist, but that’s okay! Being anti-white males is cool. After all, they deserve it.

What I wrote last night is completely applicable to this episode:

This is the double-bind black activists have created for white society and American society in general, a double standard where an entire community insists on being treated as permanent victims, so delicate and hyper-sensitive to “micro-aggressions” that they must be shielded from normal social interaction. They also raise the very real threat of tarring as racist and purveyors of systemic racism anyone or any institution that dares to stray from the safest and blandest of communications. Naturally, woke and sensitive allies dare not cross these lines, nor criticize their existence. Without normal social interaction, blacks can never be truly included in American culture and society, making genuine diversity impossible to achieve.

Kimmel could do some good–which would be a change—if he refused to grovel an apology and made that same point. He won’t, of course: I expect his grovel any minute now. In fact, let me check…

Nope, nothing yet. Well, it’s coming. I almost guarantee it.

_____________________

Pointer and Source: Hollywood Reporter