Morrissey v. Jimmy Kimmel
Singer Morrissey turned down an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” after learning that the stars of “Duck Dynasty”, a hunting show, would be appearing, too.
“I can’t take the risk of being on a show alongside people who, in effect, amount to animal serial killers.”
Kimmel, in a display of breathtakingly bad taste, promptly invited the “Duck Dynasty” hunters to do a mock commercial selling hunting supplies for animal protection groups, and joking about vegetables being “yuppie food.” Morrissey called Kimmel’s behavior extremely offensive:
“He then found time to ridicule healthy eating (the obesity epidemic in the U.S. costs $147 billion per year in medical expenditure), and he also ridiculed the notion that animals should be entitled to the possession of their own lives.
“… He also promoted his special guests Duck Dynasty – who kill beings for fun. None of the above issues are, of course, as important as Jimmy Kimmel himself, who has finally revealed his show to have an overwhelming loss of meaning. Tune in and relive the intellectual fog of the 1950s.”
While late night talk hosts are not required to be guardians of the public morals, they should at least be able to do a little better than Kimmel’s current showing. It may be too much to ask them not to promote the likes of Jack Hanna, who shows up regularly on all three shows with his safari clothes, funny hat and a bagful of baby wild animals. But promoting a bird-killing show? And pouring scorn on people who don’t eat animals? Is this really entertainment?
Compare Stephen Colbert, who is hugely entertaining but never goes for the cheap joke and never misses an opportunity to pour his hilarious brand of social satire on the people who are hurting animals rather than those who are trying to help them. (Like here or, most recently, here.)
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P.S. Morrissey also took a gentle jab this week at fellow Brit, singer and animal protectionist Paul McCartney, suggesting that he should give up his knighthood. Morrissey told the Hollywood Reporter:
“[McCartney]loves the British royals, whose treatment of animals is abysmal. The Queen herself wears enough fur to blanket most of Russia… yet Sir Paul gives her the thumbs up! If he cared passionately about animals, he’d return his knighthood. He doesn’t need the Queen’s approval.”