Jimmy Kimmel shares the Roy Moore stunt that launched a Twitter feud

Roy Moore protester is a Jimmy Kimmel comedian
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Jimmy Kimmel Live)

It turns out GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore's most vocal defender at a church event in Alabama Wednesday night was Jake Byrd, a character played by comedian Tony Barbieri on Jimmy Kimmel Live. "He's a man's man!" Byrd can be heard yelling after a member of the audience asks why Moore and his defenders think the entire town of Gadsden is lying about Moore harassing teenage girls when he was a 30-something county prosecutor. Byrd's role as a super-enthusiastic Moore fan appeared to confuse Moore on Wednesday night, before police escorted Byrd out, but by Thursday morning, Moore had caught on and started a Twitter fight with Jimmy Kimmel.

Kimmel played highlights of Byrd's performance at the Moore event on Thursday's Kimmel Live, plus interviews with Moore supporters that Byrd crashed, getting them to high-five him for damning defenses of Moore's alleged conduct. You can watch the stunt that started the feud below. Peter Weber

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Peter Weber

Peter Weber is a senior editor at TheWeek.com, and has handled the editorial night shift since the website launched in 2008. A graduate of Northwestern University, Peter has worked at Facts on File and The New York Times Magazine. He speaks Spanish and Italian and plays bass and rhythm cello in an Austin rock band. Follow him on Twitter.