CNN’s Jake Tapper defends Jimmy Kimmel after telling ESPN to ‘shut down’ Aaron Rodgers for joking about Kimmel

[ad_1] After one more assassination try on President Donald Trump , debate over late-night political speak present host Jimmy Kimmel continues.

Kimmel, who was ostensibly employed to host a comedy present, hardly ever even makes an attempt comedy. Consumed by hatred for Trump and anybody not on the far left, Kimmel has consistently and defiantly argued in opposition to anybody claiming that the job of a comic book is to do comedy.

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That contradiction reared its ugly head once more when Kimmel made an objectively poor joke about Melania Trump having the glow of an "expectant widow." Whether or not the joke was in poor style or not is a matter of private opinion, however it was poorly constructed, poorly executed, and, like most of Kimmel’s "materials," acquired little-to-no response.

However after one other try on the president’s life, many pointed to the continued rhetoric from Kimmel and many different figures on the left evaluating Trump and his supporters to Nazis or different extremist ideologies. In the meantime, Kimmel’s defenders have mentioned outcry over a joke is unwarranted and an assault on free speech.

One among Kimmel’s defenders? CNN host Jake Tapper. Besides, naturally, in speeding to guard him, Tapper deserted what he beforehand mentioned about different jokes…together with jokes concentrating on Kimmel.

Jake Tapper accepts the Reality Seekers Award onstage through the Selection and Rolling Stone Reality Seekers Summit offered by Paramount+ in New York Metropolis on Aug. 14. (Bryan Bedder/Selection)

Jake Tapper contradicts Jake Tapper in an effort to defend his buddy In early 2024, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers made headlines by joking about Kimmel showing on the Epstein Record throughout an look on "The Pat McAfee Present" on ESPN. "There’s lots of people, together with Jimmy Kimmel, who’s actually hoping that listing doesn’t come out," Rodgers mentioned.

Kimmel, who oddly was extraordinarily delicate over a joke, then threatened to sue Rodgers, saying "Stick with it and we’ll debate the details additional in court docket."

However his hypocrisy pales compared to his buddy Jake Tapper. Tapper this week rushed to Kimmel’s protection, saying "Journalism and jokes will not be requires violence. Requires violence are requires violence."

He wasn’t accomplished there. Tapper then haughtily defended Kimmel by saying that there’s "zero proof" the alleged murderer was impressed by Kimmel.

"Now, there may be zero proof — zero proof that the would-be, alleged murderer heard the joke....is it truthful to guage Jimmy Kimmel’s joke in mild of what occurred on the dinner two nights later?"

Jimmy Kimmel hosts "Jimmy Kimmel Dwell!" throughout a broadcast with company Sarah Silverman, Paul W. Downs and musical act Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Concept in Los Angeles on Might 20, 2025. (Randy Holmes/Disney by way of Getty Photographs)

He continued, saying there’s a "campaign" in opposition to Kimmel and free speech by the Trump administration.

"However this campaign in opposition to Kimmel was predictable as a result of the Trump administration’s try to make use of Saturday’s capturing as justification to cease all important protection, whether or not journalistic or comedic, of Donald Trump."

Nicely, hopefully at some point Jake Tapper can meet earlier variations of Jake Tapper who mentioned the precise reverse when his occasion was the one being focused by "stochastic" violence. Again in 2024, Tapper mentioned Aaron Rodgers was dealing with "intense, and admittedly, nicely deserved criticism" after his joke concentrating on "fashionable late night time comic" Jimmy Kimmel.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers reacts on the sphere earlier than the sport in opposition to the Inexperienced Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium on Oct. 26, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Photographs)

"False, defamatory, wildly irresponsible, and never humorous," Tapper mentioned. He then repeated that it was "wildly irresponsible," and that there are "lunatics on the market who consider this sort of stuff."

Even higher, he added, "I imply, Kimmel’s proper when he says that is placing his household in danger." Tapper additionally questioned if ESPN had a "duty" to "shut down" this sort of dialog. He additionally angrily questioned in the event that they’d proceed to permit this "nitwit" Rodgers on to make harmful jokes.

That’s only one instance of Tapper making use of a completely completely different commonplace to jokes relying on the goal. There are others.

After Paul Pelosi was attacked in 2022, Tapper additionally had a whole present about the kind of irresponsible jokes and commentary that result in assaults on outstanding figures.

Now although, Tapper has reserved his outrage for these upset that Kimmel made a joke about Melania Trump becoming a widow. Appears extraordinarily hypocritical, no? Particularly since Tapper was so upset about Rodgers’ joke being "not humorous," and just about no person discovered Kimmel’s "widow" joke humorous.

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Why would Tapper be so involved with how individuals deal with Kimmel?

Oh. That’s why.

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Tapper’s clearly associates, or a minimum of, pleasant, with Kimmel, and due to this fact applies a distinct commonplace to him than he does to others. To not point out the completely different commonplace he ceaselessly applies to these on the precise in comparison with these on the left. The problem isn’t even whether or not Kimmel’s joke was incitement or worthy of condemnation or eradicating him from his present. It’s that there's wildly disparate therapy for jokes from outstanding media figures relying on the goal.