Jimmy Kimmel has joined the chorus of curiosity surrounding former US President Donald Trump's recent hand appearance.
On the January 18 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the 56-year-old host couldn't resist cracking jokes about the possibility of Trump having syphilis. Watch Kimmel roast Trump below:
This week, as Trump waved to his supporters while leaving Trump Tower in New York City, sharp-eyed internet users couldn't help but notice peculiar red splotches on his hand and fingers, a symptom commonly associated with syphilis.
Of course, many medical conditions can cause red patches on a person's hands and there is zero evidence of the former POTUS having syphilis - but that didn't stop Trump falling victim to social media users poking fun at the situation. In fact, it wasn't long before the hashtag "#SyphilisDon" was trending on X.
"Donald Trump has had to deal with a viral moment that was embarrassing — even for him," quipped Kimmel during his opening monologue.
Kimmel didn't miss the opportunity to reference a 1990s interview in which Trump claimed to have avoided sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) as his "personal Vietnam". Kimmel's humorous take on this statement was: "But if he has syphilis, that would mean the only Vietnam he avoided was Vietnam."
In jest, Kimmel also noted that Melania Trump "will be fine" even if syphilis were the case, suggesting their sleeping arrangements have long been separate, adding: "They haven't slept in the same bed since … How old is Barron? 17? Yeah, she'll be OK."
Kimmel playfully speculated that the enigmatic marks on Trump's hands might simply be "ketchup," a humorous callback to a former White House staffer's claim that Trump had once thrown his plate of food in a fit of rage, resulting in "ketchup dripping down the wall", per Decider.
Or, as Kimmel amusingly proposed: "He probably got his hands in a container of curly fries or something."
Kimmel didn't miss the chance to highlight the different reactions if one of Trump's Republican rivals had been pictured with similar red marks on their hands. In contrast to Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, both of whom have remained silent about the viral photo, Kimmel imagined that Trump would have been "all over it," expressing his thoughts in "all CAPS" about "Meatball Ron De-Syphilis and Nikki Herpe."
Per Newsweek, a health report released last year praised Trump's "excellent health". The former president proundly shared the aforementioned doctor's letter on his social-media platform, Truth Social.
Of course, Kimmel was in less of a jokey mood last week with his response to Aaron Rodgers' claims that the comedian had a connection to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Following the decision to unseal court documents related to the disgraced Epstein for the public, 40-year-old Rodgers appeared on the Pat McAfee Show on January 2 and stated: "There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, really hoping that doesn’t come out."
Rodgers then quipped: "I'll tell you what, if that list comes out, I definitely will be popping some sort of bottle." Watch Rodgers on Pat McAfee Show below:
In response, Kimmel vehemently denied any connection to Epstein and threatened taking legal action against Rodgers. "Dear A***hole: for the record, I’ve not met, flown with, visited, or had any contact whatsoever with Epstein," he wrote on X.
Kimmel then used talk show platform to deliver yet another message to Rodger, saying: "I suggested that if Aaron wanted to make false and very damaging statements like that, we should do it in court so he could share his proof with, like, a judge."
The late-night host expressed concern about the prevalence of conspiracy theories promoted by individuals like Rodgers. He revealed that he often receives messages from people who believe baseless claims connecting him to figures like Tom Hanks and Oprah in bizarre rituals.
"A lot of delusional people honestly believe I am meeting up with Tom Hanks and Oprah at Shakey’s once a week to eat pizza and drink the blood of children,” Kimmel said. “I know this because I hear from these people often. My wife hears from them. My kids hear from them. My poor mailman hears from these people. And now we’re hearing from lots more of them thanks to Aaron Rodgers."
Kimmel also described the NFL star as having a "hamster brain."
