Jimmy Kimmel’s Live! monologues became more overtly political when the Trump administration began making serious threats to the Affordable Healthcare Act, which have gone from mere posturing to Snidely Whiplash-levels of evil fuckery. As he shared with the audience back in May, his infant son underwent heart surgery, an often prohibitively expensive procedure that Kimmel was lucky to be able to afford. And the idea that other families’ coverage is severely lacking or just plain nonexistent led the host to decry the GOP on TV.
That denunciation wasn’t a one-time deal, as Kimmel has kept the pressure on Republicans to put the needs of the country’s most vulnerable population over those of its richest, most recently telling alleged pedophile and shockingly viable Alabama senator candidate Roy Moore to fuck off. In his latest monologue, though, Kimmel was very diplomatic, sharing the stage with his young son Billy, who’d just undergone his second heart surgery. Father and adorable son appear to be doing well, but as Kimmel notes, there are millions of kids with serious health conditions who are at risk because the Children’s Health Insurance Program (or CHIP) hasn’t been renewed. It seems the federal government is too busy denying sexual assault claims and adding up all those steep tax cuts for the rich.
So Kimmel urged viewers to “jam the House and Senate phones tonight, tomorrow—as long as it takes. Tell them to take a break from tax cuts for a minute, and fully fund CHIP immediately.” The Live! clip includes the number where you can reach your individual Senate and House reps, 202-225-3121. And one more thing, Kimmel says—a reminder that Friday, December 15 is the last day to enroll in the Affordable Healthcare Act. Or, if you must, the TrumpCare Act.