It seems like whenever there is an awkward moment on live television, Jimmy Kimmel is always the late-night host on the scene to witness it. Kimmel was present and confused onstage during the great Oscar debacle, and cameras caught him yet again when Fergie belted out a sexualized version of the national anthem. Kimmel hilariously explained why he reacted the way he did to the performance during his monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live and added how he knew he would be a talking point surrounding the moment not long after it happened:
As usual, Jimmy Kimmel is on point with his response to the situation. The world didn't really need him to explain why he was laughing during Fergie's singing as most could've already assumed why, so why not use the moment as a setup to throw in a few jokes? Of course, Kimmel was smiling for the same reason everyone else caught on camera smiling was, because Fergie did a super weird rendition of the "The Star-Spangled Banner." As Kimmel said to the Jimmy Kimmel Live audience though, perhaps that was the way Francis Scott Key intended it to be performed when he wrote it?
Jimmy Kimmel also brought up how he found out he was caught on television reacting to Fergie's performance when friends and family began to text him en masse as the event unfolded. Kimmel claimed he didn't know the camera was on him, and while that could be true, it's not like he didn't already know ABC would try to promote his appearance at the game to show some love to Jimmy Kimmel Live. Ultimately, the move ended up working out as the host was able to offer a take on the situation that none of his other late-night competitors could.
The best thing Jimmy Kimmel did in his monologue once the jokes were done was let Fergie off the hook. After all, the singer did offer an apology and, as Kimmel mentioned, did not appear to have malicious intent in her butchering of the country's national anthem. Still, perhaps going forward, Fergie should take Kimmel's words to heart and the next time she performs the song just do things by the book, even if she is a risk taker. If that's not possible, perhaps the middle ground is just removing the sexual aspect of the performance as Fergie has proven in the past a little flair doesn't hurt when it comes to singing the "The Star-Spangled Banner:"
Jimmy Kimmel Live airs on ABC weeknights at 11:35 p.m. EST. For a list of new television worth checking out in 2018, head on over to our midseason premiere guide. For more Fergie, be sure to check out how she reacted to the time Quentin Tarantino bit her.
