Joy Behar made an honest mistake when trying to congratulate Jimmy Kimmel on his performance as host of the 96th Academy Awards.
“I know Jimmy, so I thought I’d write him an email and congratulate him on taking on this fascist with a joke because comedians rule,” Behar, 81, said during the Tuesday, March 12, episode of The View, referring to Kimmel’s “spot-on” quip about Donald Trump staying up past his “jail time” to slam Kimmel’s hosting abilities via social media.
“But I sent it to Jimmy Fallon,” Behar continued.
When Behar’s fellow panelist Sunny Hostin asked whether Fallon, 49, responded to the text, Behar replied, “I mean, no, no. I’m so technologically stupid. It’s a wonder I didn’t send it to Jimmy Carter.”
Behar may have appreciated Kimmel’s joke during the Sunday, March 10, awards show, but not everyone thought it was a good idea to read Trump’s scathing Truth Social post live on air.
While speaking to Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos for their annual Live After Oscar Show, Kimmel, 56, said, “They’re like, ‘You’ve got a little bit of time,’ and I was like, ‘I’m reading the Trump tweet,’ and they’re like, ‘No, no, don’t read that.’ [I was like], ‘Yes, I am.’”
Kimmel’s wife, Molly McNearney, who served as a producer for the awards show, admitted during a Monday, March 11, interview with Variety that she was among those who tried to dissuade Kimmel from mentioning Trump, 77.
“I will tell you, I’m really not proud of this, but I tried to talk Jimmy out of reading that,” McNearney, 46, said. “I feel like my instincts are usually right, but I was totally off on that. I said, ‘Please don’t read this.’ And he asked why. I said, ‘I don’t want to give Trump airtime in the Oscars. This is the one time we don’t have to talk about him. We talk about him every night. … This night is not about him and it’s not about politics.’”
Despite her reservations, McNearney noted that Kimmel was certain the joke would pay off.
“He had a glimmer in his eye, and he said, ‘I got this.’ He really did. This is where he shines,” she said. “I will tell you, I’m never going to win an argument in my household again!”
Kimmel and McNearney tied the knot in 2013 and share daughter Jane, 9, and son Billy, 6. The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host also shares daughter Katie, 32, and son Kevin, 30, with ex-wife Gina Maddy.
