Late night host Jimmy Kimmel took a shot at Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and got fact-checked for it.
Kennedy encouraged the nation to get in shape on Sunday with a tweet that noted how much weight the average American packed on during the pandemic.
“Americans gained an average of 29 pounds during the Covid lockdowns,” he posted.
“I will help turn this around by encouraging our citizens to exercise, eat well, and fortify their immune systems by removing harmful chemicals from our food.”
Getting in shape for my debates with President Biden! pic.twitter.com/ns8MdJVlmx
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) June 25, 2023
The caption was part of a Twitter thread that accompanied a viral video of the jacked and tan candidate pounding out a set of push-ups at an outdoor gym.
“Getting in shape for my debates with President Biden!” he wrote.
The video has been viewed nearly 17 million times and 69-year-old as been lauded for his physical prowess by followers.
This was his last dropset at 50% of his max for today… I joined just to spot his last set.
He's the greatest Presidential Champion in history. By far.
Solid human being and leader.
— Ryan (@ryan__calder) June 24, 2023
“RFK could be the first president to bench 3 plates while in office,” someone replied.
“If this video purportedly of RFK JR is authentic, then he must have our support,” another commented.
“No one lifting shirtless in sun with jeans, tuned up on TRT, would ever betray this great country.”
Nearly everyone was impressed by the display accept for Kimmel, who sarcastically shot back, “[W]ow! We each gained 29 lbs? that almost sounds like nonsense! (there’s a good possibility this guy is Borat).”
The ABC comedian instantly got fact checked by Twitter for his lame attempt at mockery.
Readers cited a 2021 American Psychological Association survey, which reported that the average American gained 29 pounds of “undesired weight during lockdowns.”
wow! we each gained 29 lbs? that almost sounds like nonsense! (there’s a good possibility this guy is Borat) https://t.co/ngK4HYFsWl
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) June 27, 2023
Kimmel got blasted by social media users for trying to rip on Kennedy when his post was factual.
“With comedy writers on strike, big pharma’s writers are still hard at work for [Kimmel],” one commenter wrote.
“Your entire industry got shut down and nobody even recognized you were gone,” another added.
Kennedy held a town hall on NewsNation Wednesday night, where he refused to take a shot at former President Donald Trump when moderator Elizabeth Vargas asked what he thinks about him.
“I’m not going to attack other people personally,” he responded.
Earlier this week, Trump said that Kennedy had been “very nice” to him on “The Howie Carr Show,” and explained that they had a “nice relationship.”
“He’s a very smart guy and a good guy,” Trump remarked.
Kennedy told Vargas, “I’m proud that President Trump likes me.”
“Even though I don’t agree with him on most of his issues, because I don’t want to alienate people, I want to bring people together.”
RFK Jr: "I'm proud that President Trump likes me … I want to bring people together." pic.twitter.com/ui8XLXKnZx
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 29, 2023
He even noted that he “likes” President Joe Biden, despite disagreeing with his policies.
“We’ve got to stop hating on each other,” Kennedy added.
He may like Biden, but he won’t back the President, or any other Democratic primary candidate that wins the nomination if it doesn’t go to him.
Vargas asked if “as a lifelong” Democrat” he would “pledge to endorse” whoever gets on the ticket.
“Of course I’m not going to do that,” he shot back.
“Let’s see what happens in this campaign, let’s see if people are living up to Democratic values and having debates,” he continued.
“My plan is to win this election and I don’t have a plan B,” Kennedy concluded in his trademark raspy voice.
During the town hall, he revealed the reason his voice sounds the way it does is because of a neurological disease he fell ill with in his 40s.
RFK Jr. explains how he came to have a raspy voice, noting a neurological disease in his 40s. Full story: https://t.co/nmqGkb4VKo #RFKTownHall pic.twitter.com/coHmI70XbV
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) June 29, 2023
He suffers from spasmodic dysphonia, a lifelong condition that causes the muscles that generate a person’s voice to spasm.
“I think it makes it problematical for people to listen to me. I cannot listen to myself on TV,” he said. “I feel sorry for you guys having to listen to me.”
Kennedy noted that when he was stricken with the illness in 1996, he didn’t know what was wrong with him.
However, due to his then career as a public speaker, people who saw him talk on television wrote to him and correctly diagnosed the disease.