Jimmy Kimmel interrupted his own vacation from the public eye Monday to poke fun at Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) recent health update.
On June 14, McConnell was hospitalized for previously mysterious reasons. The longtime Republican broke his weeks-long silence on Sunday when his office shared a photo of him sitting beside his wife Elaine Chao, who previously served as the U.S. Secretary of Transportation during President Trump’s first term. McConnell could be seen holding up the Sunday edition of The Washington Post in the image.
Kimmel seized on the photo as an opportunity to mock the senator. The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host, who has been enjoying his show’s summer hiatus this year, shared late Monday on Instagram a photoshopped version of McConnell’s photo with his smiling face plastered over the Republican politician’s.
“For those who’ve been asking, I’m feeling great,” Kimmel captioned the photo.
You can check out the cheeky Instagram post yourself below.
In addition to the photo shared of him, McConnell’s office released a statement addressed to his “fellow Kentuckians.” The senator attributed his hospitalization to going “briefly unconscious” after suffering a fall, further divulging that he experienced a “mild case of pneumonia” during his subsequent care.
“My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages,” McConnell said in the statement. “But I was briefly unconscious and was taken to the hospital.”
“I’ll keep regaining my strength. As much as it frustrates me, this process takes time,” the statement continued. “On the advice of my doctors, I won’t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet. But rest assured that, in the meantime, I’m not taking a break from the Senate business that matters to you.”
“I’ve been working closely with my legislative staff on current issues, and with my Kentucky team who help me provide timely constituent services across our Commonwealth,” the senator’s statement noted.
McConnell has plans to retire in 2027 at the end of his current senatorial term.
The senator’s update came after weeks of online rumors surrounding the state of his health, including speculation that went so far as to suggest he was brain-dead.
