Jimmy Kimmel Cuts Ad For Cortez Masto In Nevada After Acknowledging His Political Bits Have Dented His Viewership

Topline

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel endorsed Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D), both graduates of the same Las Vegas high school, in the race for the Nevada Senate on Friday–wading into the midterm election a day after he said in an interview that his criticism of former President Donald Trump cost him “half of his fans.”

Key Facts

Kimmel, in a comedic video endorsement of Cortez Masto, riffed on her Republican opponent Adam Laxalt in an ad released Friday, highlighting the 14 Laxalt family members who endorsed Cortez Masto while calling Laxalt “the creepy cousin in every family no one wants to sit with at Thanksgiving.”

Kimmel also attacked Laxalt for endorsing Secretary of State candidate Jim Marchant, “a QAnon whacko,” according to Kimmel (Marchant coordinated with a QAnon leader to recruit candidates who would support overturning elections if they did not produce their preferred results, the Las Vegas Sun reported).

Kimmel, who attended Clark High School in Las Vegas with Cortez Masto, called her a “good person, a hard worker,” quipping: “And guess what? Her family is voting for her.”

The endorsement comes just days after Kimmel said he would have left ABC if the network insisted he scale back his criticism of Trump on his “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show, but acknowledged, in an appearance on The Hollywood Reporter’s “Naked Live” podcast on Thursday that he lost “half” of his viewers over his Trump attacks.

Key Background

Cortez Masto, a one-term incumbent, lost her polling lead against Laxalt over the past several weeks and now trails him by less than one point, according to FiveThirtyEight. Nevada voters have shifted toward Laxalt as concerns about the economy remain paramount in the state, where the tourism-centric economy took a severe blow during the Covid-19 pandemic and gas prices are among the highest in the country. Cortez Masto, meanwhile, has attacked Laxalt for his support of a ban on abortions after 13 weeks. Both parties are pouring significant resources into the race, which is one of the most expensive in the state’s history with $186 million in ad spending as of Friday, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact.

Further Reading

Key Senate Race 2022: Nevada’s Democratic Incumbent Cortez Masto, Republican Laxalt Tied In New Poll (Forbes)

Nevada’s Costly, Photo-Finish Senate Race Pits Abortion vs. Economy (The New York Times)