Country music star Jelly Roll stepped behind the desk at “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Monday and devoted a substantial portion of his opening monologue to President Donald Trump, firing off jokes about everything from Trump’s appearance at an IndyCar race to his weight.
It marked Jelly Roll’s second stint filling in for Jimmy Kimmel, but his aggressive Trump material apparently caught some viewers by surprise.
The Grammy-winning singer began with Sunday’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C., where Trump participated in events surrounding the race.
“Let’s talk about the main event of America this weekend. It was the big IndyCar race hosted by the president,” Jelly Roll said.
Video then showed Trump waving a flag during the event, which was held as part of celebrations surrounding America’s semiquincentennial.
“The cars drove through the streets of D.C., and there’s Donald Trump who apparently has never held a flag before,” Jelly Roll said.
He followed with a profane punchline.
“What a shit job!” he said. “How do you fuck up waving a flag?”
The singer kept going, using the IndyCar event to set up another jab at Trump.
“But the president seemed to enjoy the IndyCar race, which was a real switch up for him, ’cause normally he only likes his own race,” Jelly Roll joked.
Trump also took a ceremonial trip around the course in his presidential motorcade, giving Jelly Roll another opening.
“Trump also drove around the track in his motorcade, doing what they call the lap of honor, which sounds like a loyalty program at a strip club,” he said. “Five percent cash back in the champagne room for all Lap of Honor members.”
From there, the monologue shifted into a series of jokes about Trump’s weight, with Jelly Roll drawing on his own dramatic weight loss for the setup.
“It’s crazy. Think about this, y’all. In the last few years, I’ve lost 300 lb. That means I’ve lost an entire Donald Trump,” he said.
He then turned the joke political.
“And let’s be honest, based on his approval ratings, it seems like most of the country wants to do the same thing.”
The show subsequently played a montage of Trump making jokes and comments about other people’s weight over the years. Jelly Roll, who has publicly discussed his own struggles with obesity and weight loss, responded by putting himself and the president in the same category.
“Well if that ain’t the pot calling the kettle fat,” he said.
Then came one of the monologue’s most pointed lines.
“You know Mr. president, from one fat pig to another, take it from me, physical fitness is very important,” Jelly Roll said. “Trust me, you’ll be happy to see your penis again.”
The studio audience responded enthusiastically to the jokes, but the tone attracted attention outside the program precisely because Jelly Roll is primarily known as a country performer rather than a late-night political comedian.
