Jimmy Kimmel sharply criticized President Donald Trump on Monday night, calling him a “sick and irresponsible man” following the former president’s post about Rob Reiner, who died over the weekend along with his wife, Michele. Their son, Nick Reiner, 32, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is being held without bail, with police saying he is responsible for the deaths.
Opening his monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel reflected on a tragic weekend that also included shootings at Brown University in the U.S. and a Hanukkah celebration in Australia’s Bondi Beach. “What we need in a time like this, besides common sense when it comes to guns and mental healthcare, is compassion and leadership. We did not get that from our president,” Kimmel said, criticizing Trump for offering only brief condolences followed by a post blaming Reiner for “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” a term Trump used to describe Reiner’s opposition to him. Kimmel called the post “hateful and vile,” noting that it unfairly targeted a recently murdered man and insulted his surviving family.
Kimmel also showed a clip of Trump doubling down on his comments during a Monday Oval Office press conference, calling Reiner “a deranged person” and repeating claims about his opposition to Trump. Kimmel addressed the audience directly, saying, “That corroded brain is in charge of our lives. If you voted for that, it’s OK to reconsider. It’s perfectly fine.” He added that Reiner would have wanted people to continue calling out the former president’s attacks, saying he plans to keep doing so to ensure the public remains aware of what he described as “loathsome atrocities” from Trump.