Jimmy Kimmel interviewed Stormy Daniels about her alleged affair with Trump, and it was pretty awkward
Jimmy Kimmel's guest on Tuesday's Kimmel Live was Stephanie "Stormy Daniels" Clifford, the adult film actress and director who, according to The Wall Street Journal, agreed not to discuss her alleged extramarital affair with President Trump in 2006 for a $130,000 hush payment in 2016 from Trump's lawyer. Much of the interview was Kimmel trying to work around the nondisclosure agreement Daniels more or less confirms she signed. Things got pretty uncomfortable at times.
"I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted to ask you tonight, but then, like three hours ago, I go on the internet," Kimmel said, reading a letter that purports to be a signed denial of the affair. "Did you sign this letter that was released today?" he asked. "I don't know, did I?" Daniels replied, coyly. "That does not look like my signature, does it?' "So you're saying perhaps this letter was written and released without your approval?" She just said "hm" and laughed. "I do not know where it came from," she said. "It came from the internet."
Kimmel brought up the 2011 In Touch interview in which Daniels detailed her affair with Trump. "Did you do that interview?" he asked. "Not as it is written," she said, conceding that she hasn't read the transcript In Touch released. "I'm too scared to look at it," she said. So Kimmel read her excerpts. "I thought this was a talk show, not a horror movie," she cut in. Kimmel asked if she thought it was odd when Trump brought three women who accused Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct to his debate with Hillary Clinton. "Odd, no," she said. "Dirty, yes. And I know a lot about dirty, and even I wouldn't do that."
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Kimmel asked a series of awkward questions about Trump's "junk" — "What's wrong with you?" Daniels asked — then brought out puppets to try to get some solid answers. "This feels like a SVU episode," Daniels said, and she wasn't wrong. Watch the full interview 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.
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