What did Jimmy Kimmel tweet about Elon Musk? Twitter drama explained as host's blackface controversy surfaces

Jimmy Kimmel has run with Twitter's new free speech ethos to call out the platform's brand new owner, Elon Musk.

On Sunday, October 30, 2022, the late-night show host hit back at Musk for posting a dubious conspiracy theory about the recent attack on US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul.

Jimmy Kimmel has been the host for ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003 (Image via @jimmykimmel/Twitter).

To put things in context, on October 28, 2022, Paul Pelosi was violently attacked with a hammer in his home. In response, Hillary Clinton shared an article alleging that the suspect, David DePape, had far-right ties and that the attack was motivated by bigotry and antisemitism.

In her tweet, the US politician wrote that the "Republican party and its mouthpieces now regularly spread hate and deranged conspiracy theories" and that the violent attack was "shocking but not surprising."

The Tesla CEO responded to this post by linking to an untrustworthy source article that proposed a conspiracy theory in which DaPepe was an escort hired by Pelosi, who was drunk at the time of the incident, and the assault being the result of a disagreement between the two, with Pelosi wielding the hammer.

The reply was accompanied by the text:

"There is a tiny possibility there might be more to this story."

Jimmy Kimmel expressed his displeasure with the billionaire right away, writing that it was fascinating to watch his transformation "from the electric car guy into a fully-formed piece of sh*t."

Elon Musk has since deleted the original tweet, but left an emoji and commented that he's "now been through so many hero to villain cycles that he's lost count'' under Kimmel's post.

Jimmy Kimmel has also been through his share of hero and villain cycles, mainly due to his use of blackface in various skits in the past.

The late night show host issued an overdue apology in 2020, but attention has been drawn to his past actions once again in the wake of his recent exchanges with Musk.

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Jimmy Kimmel battles accusations of hypocrisy

While the comedian has received support for his criticism of Musk, many have taken to pointing out his skits involving blackface as a mark of hypocrisy.

Some have accused him of becoming a government mouthpiece and have questioned whether the tweet was also propaganda on his part.

Users also posted videos of his earlier skits and claimed that he was no longer relevant.

Jimmy Kimmel's blackface sketches can be traced back to the late '90s where he performed impersonations of celebrities such as former NBA player Karl Malone and Oprah Winfrey.

In 2020, he issued a statement apologizing to "those who were genuinely hurt or offended by the makeup I wore or the words I spoke."

The host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! noted that many of the sketches were embarrassing and added:

"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."

Although, his apology was also noted to be lackluster by some at the time.

The writer and producer has gone on record saying that out of love for his country, he won't be bullied into silence by those who "feign outrage to advance their oppressive and genuinely racist agendas."

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Jimmy Kimmel has also recently received backlash recently for racist jokes against K-Pop sensation BTS and his antics at the 2022 Emmys.