Wednesday marked the beginning of Lent, and Jimmy Kimmel said he's giving up most human touch. "Today is Ash Wednesday, so, you know, if you see someone with ashes on their forehead today it means either they went to church or, if you're here in Hollywood, put a joint out on their face," he joked on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Pope Francis "is encouraging us to stop insulting each other online," but "I'm giving up the handshake for Lent," he said, noting that experts say countries like Japan have a better shot at containing the virus because they bow instead.
"The president is doing everything he can to calm this nation's nerves," tweeting out an attack on the media while misspelling coronavirus, Kimmel said. "He's right — why is the liberal media only focusing on the negative side of the coronavirus? It's so biased. This is all part of his 'If you can't spell it, you can't catch it' campaign." Trump actually held a press conference, and it was "a rambling presentation" in which "he downplayed the virus, he said the flu kills a lot more people than the coronavirus, so I guess we shouldn't worry. I don't know, alligators have killed more people, too, but it doesn't mean we should go jump in the swamp."
Subscribe to 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.
-
Celebrating 250 years of Jane AustenThe Week Recommends From exhibitions to Regency balls, these are the best ways to commemorate the author
-
The pressure of South Korea's celebrity cultureIn The Spotlight South Korean actress Kim Sae-ron was laid to rest on Wednesday after an apparent suicide
-
Should lying in politics be a criminal offence?Today's Big Question Welsh government considers new crime of deliberate deception by an elected official
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster showSpeed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top GrammysSpeed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own roomSpeed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talksSpeed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tourSpeed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamationSpeed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box officeSpeed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appealSpeed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
