Jimmy Kimmel’s cheap shot at Markwayne Mullin lands as another elitist swipe that mocks working-class Americans while missing the point about leadership and service.

Jimmy Kimmel used to be known for goofy late-night bits and sketch comedy, but his routine has shifted into predictable, mean-spirited attacks. Lately he’s leaned on anti-Trump theatrics and snark instead of sharp writing, and his latest punchline about Markwayne Mullin felt like class warfare dressed up as humor. That thread—mocking a public servant’s past and the people he represents—says more about the comedian than the politician.

Markwayne Mullin is an Oklahoma Republican who was nominated and confirmed as the next Department of Homeland Security secretary, a role with real responsibilities over border security and domestic protection. Kimmel reduced that outcome to a one-liner about a plumber, suggesting we should be alarmed because a working-class background doesn’t fit some elite standard of qualifications. That kind of gag trades on snobbery and assumes the audience will side with the insult rather than with competence and results.

This isn’t just about one joke. It’s emblematic of a broader contempt some in media show toward everyday Americans who don’t come from coastal, credential-heavy backgrounds. The Democrats and their cultural allies often act as if experience outside of certain professional circles is a disqualifier, and comedians who traffic in that attitude do real damage to civic cohesion. Mocking someone’s trade or origin isn’t critique; it’s shorthand for dismissing an entire group of voters.

Plenty of people called the joke out for being shallow, and they reminded viewers of Mullin’s life before politics—work, small-business ties, and a background that connects him to voters who feel ignored by Washington. Those details matter because public service should reflect varied experience, not just elite resumes. When the media laughs off practical backgrounds, it signals that governance is a spectator sport for the well-heeled rather than a responsibility shared by people from all walks of life.

Let’s be clear: making fun of someone for being a plumber or for having worked with their hands is contempt dressed up as comedy. It’s an old trick—punch down on the unfamiliar and applaud cleverness at someone else’s expense. Republicans have to point out that this kind of humor is not neutral; it’s political theater that reinforces a divide between elites and the rest of the country.

It’s always good to remind ourselves who our enemies are. So, bookmark this, so when some tragedy befalls them, we don’t have to waste our time feeling bad for these idiots.

Screw ‘em.

Comedians can and should lampoon power, hypocrisy, and bad policy, and plenty of late-night talent does that well when they aim at institutions rather than people’s livelihoods. But when jokes target people for their work, it undercuts conservative arguments about dignity in labor and the need to honor those who serve their communities. Respect for the working class should be nonnegotiable in our messaging, and calling out elite mockery helps keep that point front and center.

The backlash to Kimmel’s gag isn’t a defense of every politician; it’s a defense of common sense and fair play. If conservatives let the cultural class define who is worthy of public trust, we lose the ground where most Americans live and work. Pointing out the contempt in that kind of humor is part of reclaiming the narrative and reminding voters that experience and grit matter more than punchy soundbites.

At the end of the day, the contest for hearts and minds isn’t decided in late-night monologues but in how we speak about one another and the kinds of leaders we choose to elevate. Mocking a background of honest work plays into the hands of a media class that thinks it knows better, and it’s worth calling that out every time it happens. The country is better served when we demand respect for those who have earned their stripes outside of elite institutions and when we push back against smug, easy laughs at their expense.