Jimmy Kimmel lays into crackpot Parkland conspiracy theorists, including Donald Trump Jr.
Let us never say Jimmy Kimmel isn’t consistent. Perhaps more than any other late-night host, Kimmel has proven to be a combative, outspoken critic of harmful, GOP-led initiatives regarding healthcare, net neutrality, and alleged pedophiles running for office. Last week, the host found himself in tears while discussing the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 dead. Last night, he returned to the topic, not only to celebrate the rising tide of teenagers speaking out in support of gun control, but also to decry the denizens of this dark timeline that choose to jam their fingers in their ears while screaming “fake news.”
Yep, Alex Jones’ meaty torso looms ever larger over the conservative party as many of its members spent the last week cooking up conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory regarding these children who just watched their friends gunned down in a school hallway. They’re “crisis actors.” They’re CNN stooges. They’re lizard people, probably. And it’s not just the fringe pushing these theories, it’s those in power. As Kimmel points out in the above clip, Donald Trump Jr. has taken to liking tweets defaming the Parkland shooting survivors, while rock star Ted Nugent, an NRA board member, is just openly sharing articles describing the tragedy as “theater.”
“That is our president’s son doing that, liking a story that directly defames a student that survived a shooting,” says Kimmel, clearly in disbelief that such a series of words can even be strung together.
“I want you to consider this, especially if you are a Trump supporter or a member of the NRA,” he continues. “Do you really think these kids, these teenagers who spoke out after a shooting at their school, are ‘actors’ who are part of some ‘deep state, left-wing conspiracy?’ If the answer is ‘yes, I do believe that,’ I have some bad news for you: You’re crazy. You are a crazy person. Your brain is not functioning, and I’m worried about you.”
The good news is that the defamation hasn’t slowed the kids down. Just last night, Florida senator Marco Rubio, a noted beneficiary of NRA donations, was put under the microscope by an angry contingent of school shooting survivors and grieving parents, all of whom refused to buckle to the gun-loving politico’s practiced cocktail words. As Kimmel notes in his monologue, it’s on us to ensure these kids aren’t dragged down with them. “If you aren’t crazy, which most of you aren’t,” he says, “and you agree that accusing teenagers of being part of some underground, diabolical government scheme is nuts, you can’t just sit there and let these scumbags spread these lies about these kids.”
Send Great Job, Internet tips to [email protected]