Liberal actor Anthony Anderson dedicated his time guest hosting “Jimmy Kimmel Live” to ripping on the Republican National Convention, which he referred to as the “White People’s Choice Awards.”
Anderson lamented about the oddity of hosting the ABC show after the shocking assassination attempt on a presidential candidate during his opening monologue.
“All weekend, I kept thinking, ‘I wonder what Jimmy Kimmel is going to say about this on Monday?’ And then I was like, oh, I am Jimmy Kimmel on Monday,” he began.
Anderson then spoke about reducing “vitriol” in political discourse, expressing hope that former President Donald Trump getting shot could lead to less hate-filled rhetoric.
Jimmy Kimmel guest host Anthony Anderson recalls “the award for worst article about it goes to Forbes, who retracted this dumbass story: ‘Will surviving gunfire be Donald Trump’s next appeal to black voters?’ Unfortunately, he cropped out the fact the author was a “DEI expert” pic.twitter.com/mGRDUj87RD
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) July 16, 2024
“Hopefully, this will be a moment that we can all take a step back from the hatred and vitriol in our politics and maybe chill the f**k out,” he remarked.
The “Blackish” star also took aim at some leftist’s insane conspiracy theories the assassination attempt was staged.
“If you want to maintain your sanity during this crazy time, do not go on the internet,” he advised, referencing the left’s “Blue-Anon” conspiracy movement.
Jimmy Kimmel guest host Anthony Anderson smears Tim Scott for say America isn’t a racist country, “‘Attention, large crowd of white people! America is not a racist country!’ Thanks, Uncle Tim or Tom. Whichever you go by.” pic.twitter.com/wqseNvr9Tk
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) July 17, 2024
Despite advocating for less heated political discussions, Anderson took a jab at Sen. J.D. Vance, who Trump named as his running mate this week, implying that the author’s only qualification was his race.
“Vance has everything Trump wants in a running mate,” Anderson quipped. “He’s white. That’s pretty much it. He also looks like Eric and Don Jr. had a baby.”
Since Trump named Ohio Senator as his selection for vice president, views of the Netflix movie based on Vance’s memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” have soared by 1,179%.
According to Variety, the 2020 film, directed by Ron Howard and starring Glenn Close and Amy Adams, was viewed for 19.2 million minutes on Monday, up from 1.5 million minutes the previous day. That translates to the moving being watched 163,836 times on Monday.
Sales of Vance’s 2016 memoir about growing up in a working-class Appalachian family have also surged since the announcement.
On Tuesday, the paperback and hardcover editions of “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis” occupied the No. 1 and No. 2 bestseller slots on Amazon’s books list.
His 2016 memoir gained traction last year, as it provided a deeply personal look at the struggles of rural Americans, as inflation began to negatively impact all of Americans.
Trump announced that he chose Vance as his running mate on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Monday.
“After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” the Republican presidential nominee began.
“J.D. honorably served our Country in the Marine Corps, graduated from Ohio State University in two years, Summa Cum Laude, and is a Yale Law School Graduate, where he was Editor of The Yale Law Journal, and President of the Yale Law Veterans Association,” Trump said listing his accolades.
During his guest stint on Kimmel’s show, Anderson commented on moments from the RNC on Monday night, starting with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s teleprompter malfunction.
“Oh, poor Mike walked off stage with his Johnson tucked between his legs,” he joked. “Is it bad when the Speaker of the House can’t speak?”
“They all had some fun though. More than anything, the RNC is a chance for the MAGA movement to really bust a move,” Anderson said as he rolled a clip of attendees dancing.
“It’s the ‘No Soul Train!’” he quipped.
Anderson also took a jab at South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, saying he “kissed more a**” than anyone else.
He aired a clip of Scott speaking and wisecracked, “Tim, Trump already picked his running mate. You don’t have to do this, bro.”
He played another clip of Scott, telling the audience, “Attention large crowd of white people! America is not a racist country,” then commented, “Thanks, Uncle Tim or Tom, whichever you go by.”
Anderson also mocked Trump for wearing a bandage over the bullet wound on his ear.
“He entered the convention like a heavyweight champ: With the swagger of Mike Tyson and the ear of Evander Holyfield,” the actor teed up.
“You know, that’s the whitest square I’ve seen next to Trump since Mike Pence.”