Jimmy Kimmel isn’t often referred to as a very down-to-earth human being. Au contraire, the man has often been accused of being far too smug for his own good by countless sources. In fact, the man was once even dubbed to be the most hated man in Hollywood just a few years ago.
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Simply put, Kimmel has been balancing on a thin line for quite a few years now. And while he hasn’t been canceled just yet, the man came pretty darn close between 2018 and 2020.
And Karl Malone was far more than just a part of this whole scandal.
Jimmy Kimmel almost canceled just a few years ago due to a risqué impression of Karl Malone
During the height of his relevance, there were 2 sides to Karl Malone.
On one side, you have the NBA Hall of Famer who was a 2-time MVP, and 14-time All-NBA selection among a myriad of other NBA achievements.
But, on the other side, you have the man who allegedly impregnated a 13-year-old girl.
Suffice it to say the man’s image was hardly a clean one. However, on one occasion, he was considered as one of the aggrieved.
And it was something Jimmy Kimmel was forced to apologize for over 20 years later.
What did he do? Take a look at the YouTube clip below.
For the longest time, the talk show host got away with it. But back in 2018, fans caught wind of this ‘black-face’ incident.
And in response, here is the full statement he released in 2020.
I have long been reluctant to address this, as I knew doing so would be celebrated as a victory by those who equate apologies with weakness and cheer for leaders who use prejudice to divide us. That delay was a mistake. There is nothing more important to me than your respect, and I apologize to those who were genuinely hurt or offended by the makeup I wore or the words I spoke.
On KROQ radio in the mid-90s, I did a recurring impression of the NBA player Karl Malone. In the late 90s, I continued impersonating Malone on TV. We hired makeup artists to make me look as much like Karl Malone as possible. I never considered that this might be seen as anything other than an imitation of a fellow human being, one that had no more to do with Karl’s skin color than it did his bulging muscles and bald head. I’ve done dozens of impressions of famous people, including Snoop Dogg, Oprah, Eminem, Dick Vitale, Rosie, and many others. In each case, I thought of them as impersonations of celebrities and nothing more. Looking back, many of these sketches are embarrassing, and it is frustrating that these thoughtless moments have become a weapon used by some to diminish my criticisms of social and other injustices.
I believe that I have evolved and matured over the last twenty-plus years, and I hope that is evident to anyone who watches my show. I know that this will not be the last I hear of this and that it will be used again to try to quiet me. I love this country too much to allow that. I won’t be bullied into silence by those who feign outrage to advance their oppressive and genuinely racist agendas.
My summer vacation has been planned for more than a year and includes the next two summers off as well. I will be back to work in September.
Thank you for giving me an opportunity to explain and to those I’ve disappointed, I am sorry.
Admittedly, this apology does seem to be a bit lacking. But apparently, Malone didn’t seem to care too much.
Heck, the man even did a comedic sketch with him back in 2018.
Jimmy Kimmel Karl Malone once shot ‘Alone with Malone’
Coming face to face with a man you offended can often be nerve-wracking. But when that man stands at 6’9” with a hulking body most can only dream of, things don’t often turn out well for the perpetrator.
So, how did it go for Jimmy Kimmel? Take a look at the YouTube clip below.
Kimmel is a lucky man.
After all, if Malone wanted to get himself a piece of Jimmy, we aren’t sure there’d be many in the world who could stop him.
