Jimmy Kimmel discusses Los Angeles fires in Monday monologue
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” returned to air Monday after missing several episodes late last week due to devastating fires in the Los Angeles area. Earlier in the day, Kimmel and the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” team turned the parking lot behind the show's studio, typically home to live outdoor music, into a donation site (running through Friday). That night, Kimmel began the show's monologue by recounting the disaster.
“As you know, it’s been a very scary, stressful, very strange week in Los Angeles — where we work, where we live, where our kids go to school,” Kimmel began, noting “ JKL” studio had to be evacuated Wednesday due to a fire near Runyon Canyon.
“Many of us had to leave our homes in a hurry,” he said. “Some of our colleagues lost their homes. It's horrific. Everyone who lives in this city knows someone — most of us, a lot of us — a family member, a friend, a co-worker, a neighbor whose house burned down.
“The truth is, we don't even know if it's over yet. We've got 100 mph winds – exacerbating this nightmare. Starting tonight, the winds are back.
“I think I speak for all of us when I say it was a sickening, shocking, horrific experience. But in many ways it was also a beautiful experience because we saw our Fellow citizens came together to support each other, as people who lost their homes volunteered in parking lots to help others who had lost their homes.
“Tonight, I don't want to talk about all the vile, irresponsible and stupid things that our so-called future president and his bunch of scum have chosen to say in our darkest and most horrific moments,” he said. “The fact that they chose to attack our firefighters when they are clearly not white enough to put their lives on the line for us is disgusting. But it's not surprising.
“Instead, I want to focus on thanking those men and women – because that's what we should be doing right now. We should never stop thanking them. Our firefighters from Los Angeles were the first on the scene without hesitation. They were there, Doing their best to put out the fires and then we have firefighters from other states from Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Washington, Northern California, New Mexico, Idaho. , Maine. We have firefighters from Mexico, Canada, and we are very grateful to them.
“And our police, National Guard, rescue workers, doctors, nurses, first responders, airmen on 12-hour shifts – thank God for all of you. If you would like to thank these brave men with a donation, here is one A good place to start: support LAFD dot org.
“I would also like to thank our local journalists – who remind us how important our local TV, radio and newspapers are.”
Kimmel also spoke live with Border Grill chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, who are cooking for emergency responders, and with ” The live chat featured “Police Academy” star Steve Guttenberg, who made headlines over the weekend when he spoke to reporters in Pacific Palisades.
Kimmel later added: “You know, we've learned a lot in the last six days in Los Angeles. We learned every local news reporter's name. We learned there was such a thing as a “boil water advisory.” We learned that Steve Guttenberg was a damn national treasure. , most of us are useless. We learn a few new words – like “Slopover” and “Phos-chek” and we learn that there is a socially acceptable use of the word “flame retardant”. There was a rabbit museum in Altadena that I didn't know about, and we learned that none of our out-of-state family members knew the difference between Santa Monica and Santa Clarita. Evacuation notices, none of it should do the job. You know – before – I feel like I'm an expert on all this fires now – most of what I knew about fire safety – before this happened. From watching Paw Patrol.”
Guests on Monday include Snoop Dogg (“Preacher”), Roy Wood Jr. (“Roy Wood Jr.: Lonely Flower”) and musical guest Dawes from Altadena. “We invited Snoop here for three reasons. One, he's like family to us. Two, he represents Los Angeles in a big way. And three, he doesn't smoke.”
In one ad, Snoop and Kimmel share a message: “We're in this together. Stay strong, LA!”:
Jimmy Kimmel Live also added a banner supporting Los Angeles first responders in front of its Hollywood studio:
As for the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” donation center that launched earlier in the day, Kimmel wrote in an Instagram post: “Fellow Angelenos – if you are looking for a way to help those affected by the fires, we are here at We in Hollywood on location. We will be distributing essentials quickly to those in need. Please spread the word to those in our neighborhood.”
Donations will be made at 6901 Hawthorn Ave. on Friday from noon to 6 p.m. Items accepted include bottled water and Gatorade, baby food, pet food, non-perishable food (canned goods or individually packaged snacks like bagged pretzels or chips), new toiletries/hygiene products, new of socks/underwear, diapers and baby wipes.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live” was originally scheduled to air last Wednesday, with guests including Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked”), Brian Jordan Alvarez (“The English Teacher”) and musical guest Victoria Canal; Thursday's episode is expected to star Timothée Chalamet (“Unknown”) and musical guests The Lumineers.