Jimmy Kimmel hasn’t been funny since the Man Show went off the air, and even that’s being generous. But the former comedian — emphasis on “former” — decided to remind us all why his ratings live in the basement by taking a cheap shot at newly confirmed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Not for a policy position. Not for a controversial statement. For being a plumber.
Jimmy Kimmel: "Before he was elected to the Senate, Markwayne Mullin was plumber. That's right. We have a plumber protecting us from terrorism now."
The elitism of Hollywood summarized in one moment. 👇pic.twitter.com/2rQUQwlPit
— CJ Pearson (@Cjpearson) March 25, 2026
Yeah. A plumber. The guy who keeps your toilets flushing and your pipes from turning your basement into a swimming pool. That’s the punchline now.
Here’s the clip that tells you everything you need to know about Hollywood’s opinion of working Americans:
“Before he was elected to the Senate, Markwayne Mullin was a plumber. That’s right. We have a plumber protecting us from terrorism now.”
The smirk on Kimmel’s face said it all. To him, a man who built a business with his hands, who solved real problems for real people, who got elected to Congress and then the Senate before being tapped to lead DHS — that guy is a joke. Because he once fixed pipes.
The Party of the Working Class, Ladies and Gentlemen
This is the same left that plasters “Workers’ Rights” on every campaign sign from Brooklyn to Berkeley. The same crowd that lectures you about income inequality while sipping $18 oat milk lattes in Malibu. They love the working class right up until one of them gets a cabinet position. Then it’s comedy hour.
Kimmel wouldn’t dare mock a Harvard lawyer who’d never held a wrench. He wouldn’t snicker at some career bureaucrat who’s spent thirty years shuffling papers in a windowless office. But a plumber? Hilarious, apparently.
Abraham Lincoln split rails. Harry Truman sold suits. Ronald Reagan worked as a lifeguard. These men built character through labor before they built legacies in leadership. And Kamala Harris — well, she claims she worked at McDonald’s, though finding proof of that has become its own archaeological expedition.
Let’s Play a Game Called “Who Do You Actually Need?”
Here’s a fun thought experiment. Take every late-night host, every Hollywood activist, every blue-check pundit posting hot takes from their living room — pile them all up. Now ask yourself: does civilization collapse without them?
Not even close. You might miss the background noise for a week. Maybe two.
Now remove every plumber, electrician, truck driver, farmer, garbage collector, and lineman in America. How long before things get ugly? Two weeks? Try two days before the panic sets in. The people who keep the lights on, the water running, and the shelves stocked are the backbone of this country. Jimmy Kimmel is the appendix — technically there, but nobody notices until something goes wrong.
Why This Matters Beyond One Bad Joke
This wasn’t just a monologue flop. It was a window into how the coastal elite actually views the sixty million Americans who work with their hands for a living. They see them as props. Useful at election time, punchlines the rest of the year.
And this is exactly why Trump keeps winning with working-class voters. He doesn’t look at a plumber and see a joke. He sees someone who built something real. Trump picked Mullin precisely because the man knows what it’s like to run a business, meet a payroll, and solve a problem that isn’t theoretical. That’s not a weakness on a résumé — it’s the whole point.
The left still can’t figure out why the blue-collar vote slipped through their fingers. Moments like this are the answer, gift-wrapped and served on a silver platter.
The Real Punchline
Here’s the kicker about Jimmy Kimmel’s legacy. Nobody’s watching reruns of his show. Nobody quotes his monologues. He creates nothing that outlasts the next news cycle. He’s not Johnny Carson. He’s not even Craig Ferguson. He’s a man who traded whatever comedic talent he once had for applause from an audience that claps because the sign tells them to.
Markwayne Mullin built a plumbing company, served his state, and now runs the Department of Homeland Security. Jimmy Kimmel reads jokes other people wrote while his ratings circle the drain.
Speaking of which — somebody should probably call a plumber.