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Jimmy Kimmel Trolls Mitch McConnell’s ‘Proof Of Life’ Pic As AI Rumors Swirl

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Jimmy Kimmel
By Walt Disney Television via Flickr

Jimmy Kimmel spent part of his summer break mocking Mitch McConnell’s “proof of life” photo, jumping into the online frenzy over the senator’s health after McConnell’s office tried to quiet rumors with a newspaper snapshot.

The late-night host was away from his ABC show, but he still took a swipe on Instagram after McConnell’s team released a photo of the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican sitting beside his wife, Elaine Chao, while holding a current newspaper.

In Kimmel’s version, McConnell’s face was swapped out for his, with the post joking, “For those who’ve been asking, I’m feeling great.”

The newspaper photo was meant to quiet a rumor cycle that had followed McConnell since his June 14 hospitalization and grew louder after fellow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham died suddenly Saturday.

McConnell’s own explanation pointed to a fall made more complicated by the effects of the polio he survived as a child.

“My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion,” he wrote.

“I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages.”

He said he had been unconscious shortly and hospitalized before pneumonia slowed his recovery.

“But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital. While receiving excellent care over the past several weeks, I’ve also had to deal with a mild case of pneumonia,” McConnell added.

A return to floor votes is still on hold, though McConnell said Senate work has continued through his staff.

“I’ll keep working hard to get back on the Senate floor as soon as possible. And I’ll keep you posted on the progress of my recovery. Until then, I’m so grateful for your prayers and well wishes,” he concluded.

The letter and photo did not put an end the questions about his health. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., fed the speculation Monday during an appearance on Real America’s Voice’s “Bolling!” with Eric Bolling.

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“I’ve just heard from some other sources that was an older photo. So I really don’t know,” Johnson claimed.

Johnson acknowledged he had not talked with McConnell himself, while still saying he wanted the Kentucky Republican back in Washington voting for President Donald Trump’s agenda.

By later Monday, Johnson was trying to pull the focus back to McConnell’s recovery.

“Beware of clickbait — watch the full clip. Most importantly, I hope @SenMcConnell makes a full recovery and returns to the Senate,” he tweeted.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., turned the McConnell mystery into a joke when journalist Pablo Manríquez asked him about the photo.

Massie claimed he had “had a 20-minute conversation, nearly 20 minutes with Sen. McConnell.”

“And he said we should stop spying on Americans, quit bankrupting the country, and stop starting these new wars,”  Massie said in a clip.

“And he expressed, you know, his sadness that I lost my primary. And — but it appears that a lot of people had [these] 20-minute conversations.”

“Everybody’s having 20-minute conversations with McConnell all of a sudden,” Manríquez responded.

Massie kept the bit going. “We just need to start having them publicly,” he added.

The AI rumors eventually drew a Washington Post fact-check after social media users questioned whether McConnell’s office had released a fake image.

The Post’s check relied on the original file from McConnell’s office, its metadata and an outside review from University of California digital forensics expert Hany Farid before concluding the image was authentic and taken Sunday.

“An independent digital forensics expert also said there appeared to be no evidence that the image is fake,” the outlet wrote.

Farid’s review did not flag suspicious distortions in McConnell or Chao, and he found the room’s lighting “plausible,” the Post reported.

The “proof of life” photo also became an easy target for late-night TV.

Fellow late night host, Jimmy Fallon, opened his own McConnell bit around the weeks of Washington speculation.

“Well, some news from Washington after weeks of speculation about his health,” Fallon said about the image.

“Not sure how OK he is because that’s actually a video,” he joked. “Nothing says perfect health like having someone hold you up when you’re already sitting.”

Fallon also compared the photo to “a husband and wife ventriloquist act,” pointing to the position of Chao’s arm.

Kimmel’s own show went even darker Monday while he was still away.

Guest host Ike Barinholtz mixed McConnell’s health rumors with Graham’s death and joked about another possible controversy for the program.

“What a crazy weekend,” Barinholtz said. “Mitch McConnell is alive, Lindsey Graham is dead. There’s so many opportunities to get Jimmy’s show pulled off the air again. They’re gonna pull it off!”

The joke pointed back to Kimmel’s earlier suspension over remarks about assassinated conservative activist and TPUSA co-founder Charlie Kirk.

Barinholtz then dragged Kimmel sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez into a mock Graham tribute.

“Guillermo, I know you and him were close friends,” Barinholtz said. “You hosted fundraisers for him at the Dave & Busters in Charleston. And I know you’ve prepared some heartfelt remarks. Do you want to share them with all of America right now?”

Rodriguez pushed it off. “Maybe later on. Maybe later on. I’ll do it later on, yeah, yeah.”

“Later on. He’s emotional, folks. He’s emotional,” Barinholtz joked to the audience.

Barinholtz ended the McConnell bit with a final dig. “In all seriousness, though, I do want to extend well-wishes to Senator McConnell. I hope you get the quality healthcare you’ve fought so hard to deny everyone else. Pulling for you, Mitch!”

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