Members of Fox News’ The Five didn’t take issue with Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night return–because they think he probably won’t be on air much longer anyway.
Disney announced earlier Monday afternoon that Kimmel’s “indefinite” time away after his comments about the Charlie Kirk shooting would end up being less than a week. Kimmel’s show tapes again on Tuesday.
Jesse Watters said he got why Kimmel was returning, but downplayed its significance because he may only be there a few more months.
“I understand why he is coming back,” Watters said after grumbling that Kimmel should be acting more like Johnny Carson than Rachel Maddow.
“He will probably read something that the lawyers wrote for him and act trite for a second. Some of us have been there,” he said with a smirk. “And then he will carry on and be the exact same Jimmy Kimmel we are used to.”
“But how much longer are we going to get Jimmy Kimmel?” Watters continued, alluding to his contract ending next May, his estimated 8-figure salary, and the general ratings struggles of his and other late-night shows.
According to Nielsen, Kimmel averaged 1.77 million total viewers last quarter, while in 2015 his show had 2.4 million. His show came in second among all viewers over the same period, behind Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show. In January, Jimmy Kimmel Live! had 1.95 million total viewers, while in August, the number was 1.1 million.
“Is Disney going to put up with this guy?” Watters wondered. “He is in second place, he’s a headache, he is losing cash. It’s a dying format, late-night. I just don’t see him going on that much longer, and that’s fine!”
Fox News contributor Tyrus also differed from others on the right when he said he was “glad” Kimmel was back so that whenever his show ultimately is taken off air, he won’t be able to point to Donald Trump or the Federal Communications Commission as the reason.
“What would you rather be canceled for: sucking at your job, or the mean president took your job away?” he said. “You’ve got to take the president out of it now, because now he’s back.”
“The best thing for him was to stay gone because he would’ve been able to say for the rest of his days that ‘the evil Trump MAGA got me,’ and then all his pundits would come out and say ‘free speech is being taken away,’” he continued.
“Nope, here’s your ball back. You got a slap on the wrist: ‘Act right.’ So then the next time he gets canceled, and it will probably be before January, it’s going to be about the ratings, and you won’t be able to blame the president. I’m glad this happened. You won’t be able to blame the FCC. You’ll be able to blame Jimmy Kimmel for not being funny.”
Co-host Harold Ford Jr., a Democrat, added later that he too was glad Kimmel was back, though not because he necessarily watches his show or finds him funny, but because he objected to the government’s pressure campaign against him.
The post Fox Hosts Claim They’re Glad Jimmy Kimmel Is Back appeared first on The Daily Beast.
