Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert gawk at R. Kelly's Oscar-worthy ravings to Gayle King
"Everybody out there is talking about the big TV broadcast about that sexual predator in the entertainment industry, and unfortunately I have to narrow that down," Stephen Colbert said on Wednesday's Late Show. He was talking about R. Kelly. "If you've been living under some beautiful, comforting, noise-canceling rock," he said, "R. Kelly's accused of multiple counts of physical and sexual abuse, including holding victims — some underage — against their will. And this [interview] was a chance for Kelly to reassure the world that he is normal. But instead he went with ... not that."
"Wow, he shouted and he cried, but it was completely unconvincing," Colbert said. "For Pete's sake, he forgot to say he liked beer." CBS's Gayle King sat through Kelly's ravings with preternatural calm. "She knows that when you're interviewing R. Kelly, you gotta go by the T-Rex rules," he said: "It can only see motion."
"Is there anyone cooler than Gayle King?" Jimmy Kimmel marveled on Kimmel Live. "She's just like, 'Robert?' Whatever Zen meditation class she's taking, sign me up." As for Kelly, on the other hand, "I believe this was the first time a defendant ever pleaded insanity during an interview," Kimmel said. "He said he never held anyone against their will because only a dummy would do something like that," and to judge whether Kelly is "stupid," Kimmel reviewed some of his work.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The interview revealed a number of disturbing things about R. Kelly, one of them being he lives in Trump Tower in Chicago, and he keeps a Christmas tree up all year round," Kimmel said. "This was quite a performance," he added, playing one part in particular he thought "could get R. nominated for an Academy Award." Watch below. Peter Weber
-
Why are micro-resolutions more likely to stick?In the Spotlight These smaller, achievable goals could be the key to building lasting habits
-
What will happen in 2026? Predictions and eventsIn Depth The new year could bring peace in Ukraine or war in Venezuela, as Donald Trump prepares to host a highly politicised World Cup and Nasa returns to the Moon
-
Why is Trump’s alleged strike on Venezuela shrouded in so much secrecy?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Trump’s comments have raised more questions than answers about what his administration is doing in the Southern Hemisphere
-
A peek inside Europe’s luxury new sleeper busThe Week Recommends Overnight service with stops across Switzerland and the Netherlands promises a comfortable no-fly adventure
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Television personalities who have come under fireIn Depth Jimmy Kimmel is the latest TV host to be swept up in controversy
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
