Jimmy Kimmel Defends Ted Cruz Over School Shooting Response

Last night, Jimmy Kimmel taped a special segment onstage before Wednesday night’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” He addressed the tragic shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, which claimed the lives of 19 children and 2 adults.

In a nine-minute segment, which can be seen below, Kimmel called the shooting yet “another day of mourning.”

In the video, which was transcribed by Deadline, Kimmel began, “Here we are again – on another day of mourning in this country. He continued, “where once again, we grieve – for the babies – the little boys and girls whose lives have been ended and whose families have been destroyed.”

“While our leaders on the right – the ‘Americans’ in Congress and at Fox News and these other outlets – warn us not to politicize this,” he continued. “They immediately criticize our President for even speaking about doing something to stop it. Because they don’t want to speak about it. Because they know what they’ve done. And they know what they haven’t done. And they know that it’s indefensible. So they’d rather sweep this under the rug.”

Texas Senator Ted Cruz has faced a fair amount of criticism for doubling down on gun rights in the face of the shooting. He has also faced considerable backlash for revealing that he still plans to attend an NRA meeting on Friday in Houston, along with former President Donald Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott. However, Kimmel expressed sympathy for Cruz, which shocked many.

Jimmy Kimmel pointed out that Cruz is a father himself, and said that he refuses to believe that Cruz is indifferent to the lives lost on Tuesday afternoon.

“And here’s the thing – I don’t believe Ted Cruz doesn’t care about children. I don’t,” Kimmel continued. “I refuse to believe he is unaffected by this. He’s a father. I bet he went to bed sick to his stomach last night. It’s easy to call someone a monster. But he’s not a monster – he is a human being. And some people might not like hearing me say that, but it’s true.”

“So here’s the thing I would like to say to Ted Cruz, the human being, and Governor Abbot, and everyone: It’s OK to admit you made a mistake,” he continued. “In fact, it’s not just OK, it’s necessary to admit you made a mistake when your mistake is killing the children in your state.”

“It takes a big person to do something like that. It takes a brave person to do something like that,” he added. “And do I think these men are brave people? No, I don’t. I don’t.”

“But man,” Kimmel said. “I would love it if they surprised me.”

On Twitter, Jimmy Kimmel addressed that his monologue had been cut out of broadcasts in Dallas either "intentionally or inadvertently." He shared a link to his full monologue, which is available in the video clip posted above.

“The Late Late Show” host James Corden and Stephen Colbert also weighed in on the “unfathomable” tragedy in Texas on their respective shows.

In his speech, transcribed by The Hollywood Reporter, Corden said that he couldn’t imagine what the parents of the nineteen deceased children were feeling to get the phone call announcing that their child had passed away in a school shooting.

“As a father, I can’t imagine the horror of that phone call,” Corden began. “When I drop my kids off at school this morning and kiss them goodbye, it doesn’t cross your mind that that could ever be the last goodbye.”

“The thought of that phone call — that your child is the victim in a mass shooting — is beyond comprehension as a human being,” he continued. “I’m so deeply sad for the families of these children, the trauma of the survivors, and for the future that these kids will never see.”

He pointed out that so far, there have been no school shootings in the U.K., Australia, or Japan in 2022. However, there have been multiple mass shootings in the U.S. this year with no end in sight. He named 27 school shootings in America and 212 mass shootings only five months into the year.

“Nothing will change,” a pessimistic Corden continued. “Gun money will continue to get in the way of morality.”

“Words of thoughts and prayers will come from our leaders, but I fear change never will,” he added. “I hold out hope that this country will eventually wake up and change this senseless gun culture. My heart simply goes out to every single person in Texas tonight.”

On “The Late Show,” Stephen Colbert seemed to tear up as he attempted to make sense of the “unspeakable” shooting.

“While we can add our prayers for the dead, there is nothing that can ever be said that can approach the immeasurable grief of those families,” Colbert said, pausing for a moment as he appeared to be overcome with emotion.

“Let’s pray this time our leaders show a modicum of courage in trying to prevent this from ever happening again,” he continued. “But prayers won’t end this, voting might. So when you vote, ask yourself this question: Who running for office has publicly stated that they are willing to do anything and everything in their power to protect your children from the criminally insane number of guns in America?”