'It had to be explained and then deleted': Jimmy Kimmel slams JD Vance for defending Trump's 'healer' image

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel blasted Vice President JD Vance for claiming President Donald Trump was making a joke when he posted an AI-generated image that seemingly portrayed him as a Christ-like figure. Kimmel didn't buy into the excuse claiming a joke doesn't need to be explained, and then deleted. The comedian went on to roast Trump's handling of the war as well, referring to his latest comments. 

After calling Pope Leo XIV "weak on crime" and "terrible for foreign policy", Trump shared an AI-generated image that showed him wearing robes and healing a sick man with beams of light coming from his hands. The post swiftly received backlash from political and religious leaders across the spectrum. While the picture was taken down shortly, Trump claimed that he never wanted to look like Jesus, and he thought the image depicted him as a doctor. Soon, members of his administration, including Vance, came out in support of the president, pushing the narrative forward. 

In an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier, Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, said it was “a joke” as the president said. Kimmel on Tuesday picked up Vance's comments and played a clip where Vance said, “I think the president was posting a joke, and of course he took it down because he recognized that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor in that case.” Kimmel then responded, saying, “He was posting a joke, you understand? And like all the best jokes, it had to be explained and then deleted." He went on to break down the flawed logic, adding, "First, he was Jesus. Then he wasn’t Jesus, he was a doctor. And now, it was a joke.”

Kimmel then quipped about his show being cancelled, saying, “Why did I get kicked off the air again? I can’t remember.” The late-night show, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"  was suspended in September after Kimmel made comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.  However, ABC brought the show back on air the following week.

Previously, on Tuesday, Kimmel took jabs at the president for his habit of sharing AI-generated images. “You know he thinks artists make these?” asked Kimmel, before showing an image of Jesus cradling Trump. “He thinks they’re paintings for real; he doesn’t realize this is an AI thing," he joked. He then added that the president may be fond of the images as they enhance his facial features. "Someone’s been looksmaxxing!" Kimmel quipped. 

Kimmel then hit back at the president for his comments about ending eight wars in the first year of his second term, after the president claimed that "nobody's ever ended a war" except for him. “That’s right. Every war in history is still going on because no one ever ended one, except him," Kimmel quipped. He then took a jab at the First Lady, Melania Trump's surprise statement on rumors of her association with late sex offender Jefferey Epstein, saying the war was going so poorly for Trump that he may need "Melania to hold another surprise press conference just to get Epstein back in the news again.”