Actor Robert De Niro dropped in on Jimmy Kimmel’s return to the air on Tuesday with an expletive-laden video bit posing as the “new” FCC chairman.
Kimmel spent a lot of wind falsely claiming that President Trump tried to trample his First Amendment rights, and De Niro was on hand to drive that narrative with his prerecorded bit in which he put on his mobster persona.
“We were in the middle, and in a lot of ways, still are in the middle of an unprecedented fix. After almost 23 years on the air, we’re suddenly not being broadcast in 20% of the country, which is not a situation we relish. So we reached out to the chairman of the FCC, Brendan Carr,” Kimmel said to kick off De Niro’s bit. “He has, to his credit, agreed to join us from his office in Washington, and here he is now. Thank you, Chairman Carr, for being with us tonight.”
“You tell Whoopi over there, she better show a little respect, or the only view she’s getting is from under George Washington. The bridge, not the guy,” De Niro said in his portrayal as the FCC chief.
Continuing his Mobster tough-guy act, De Niro said that he didn’t threaten Whoopi Goldberg. No, I would never threaten Ms. Goldstein, I was just teaching a lesson about consequences,” he deadpanned.
“It’s just me, Jimmy, the chairman of the FCC, gently suggesting that you gently shut the f–k up,” he continued. “Speech? It ain’t free no more. We’re charging by the word now.”
De Niro then explained that if you want to compliment Trump’s “beautiful, thick yellow hair or how he can do his makeup better than any broad,” there is no charge. But “If you want to do a joke like he’s so fat he needs two seats on the Epstein jet, that’s gonna cost you.”
The jokes come on the heels of Kimmel’s week-long suspension after he falsely suggested that the man arrested for the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is “MGA.”
Despite his celebration of a return to the air, though, two of ABC’s biggest carriers, Sinclair Broadcasting Group and Nexstar, still refused to air Jimmy Kimmel Live in their markets.
Jimmy Kimmel’s ratings have been in the tank for years. This year, for instance, Kimmel’s viewers in the 18-49 age demo, which sets advertising rates, has collapsed. In January, that number sat at 212,000 in January. By August it had dived to just 129,000.
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