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 has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.