Late night hosts mock Trump's coronavirus ratings fixation, compare him with Tiger King's Joe Exotic
"For a lot of people, like myself, today began our third week of quarantine," Jimmy Kimmel said Monday night. "And this is where your survival skill start to kick in." President Trump, for example, "took time during this deadly national emergency to brag about the ratings for his press conferences," Kimmel said. "Just because people are watching you doesn't mean it's good. Have you heard of The Masked Singer? Right now half of this country is watching a show about a bunch of toothless meth-heads abusing tigers." Kimmel suggested Netflix and Disney+ team up to create a version of Tiger King the whole family can watch, and he showed how it might be done.
Yes, "Tiger King, this new Netflix series that is somehow even more viral than COVID-19," is "the only story that everybody's talking about right now," Trevor Noah said, after a global coronavirus update. Tiger King protagonist "Joe Exotic is not only one of the weirdest people you will ever meet in your life, he could also be president of the United States," Noah said. "He's self-absorbed, he's disorganized, he's obsessed with conspiracies," and "he loves portraying himself as an expert in his field, when the truth is he has no idea what he's talking about." Noah walked through a point-by-point comparison of Joe Exotic and Trump, concluding that Exotic "might be just as crazy as Trump, but at least if he's in the White House, we're gonna see tigers."
Late Night's Seth Meyers checked in on how Fox News is handling Trump's handling of the outbreak, and he found possible alcohol abuse and stony faces. Trump himself is "laser-focused on the crisis," he deadpanned, reading a tweet about Harry and Meghan. "Where are you getting your celebrity news during the pandemic? I know it's not People magazine, because even People magazine is covering the coronavirus." Meyers also rolled his eyes at Trump's ratings brags: "People are not tuning in because they all love you, they're tuning in because they're trapped inside," and "we're only trapped inside watching you because you kept ignoring the crisis and pretending it would go away, until it was too late."
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.
The Late Show's Stephen Colbert asked guest John Oliver his opinion on Trump's handling of the crisis. "I really hope he turns it around," Oliver said. "I genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, hope that he can pull a rabbit out of a hat, and that rabbit being competence. But I don't think it's safe for any of us to bank on that." Peter Weber
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
The best new music of 2024 by genre
The Week Recommends Outstanding albums, from pop to electro and classical
By The Week UK Published
-
Nine best TV shows of 2024 to binge this Christmas
The Week Recommends From Baby Reindeer and Slow Horses to Rivals and Shogun, here are the critics' favourites
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: December 28, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91
Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76
Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproar
Speed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published