White House Slams Jimmy Kimmel as "Beclowned" After Mocking New Press Secretary

The White House has issued a strong rebuke of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, calling him a "no-talent loser" and "beclowned" for his recent monologues targeting new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia.

Kimmel, in back-to-back episodes of ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," delivered personal insults directed at Zacharia, who recently held her first White House press briefing. On Tuesday's show, Kimmel referred to Zacharia as "Malibu Katie" and questioned her intelligence, suggesting she was appointed to keep President Donald Trump "awake and interested."

"Things did not get off to a great start for Malibu Katie today," Kimmel said, mocking the brevity of her first briefing. "It was only 14 minutes long. But even in that short time, she accomplished exactly what she was brought in to do, which is slobber a whole tube of lip gloss all over the president’s behind."

White House spokesman Davis Ingle responded forcefully to Kimmel's remarks, stating, "Jimmy Kimmel is a no-talent loser who has beclowned himself with tanking ratings and by spewing disgusting lies to his dwindling audience. He is so devoid of actual talent that nobody with any common sense would ever watch him unless it was to laugh at his miserable failures."

White House communications director Steven Cheung also defended Zacharia, praising her qualifications. "Katie is a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team. She is uniquely qualified and whip-smart to help inform the American people about all the great things President Trump and his administration have been doing, and she will do an incredible job as press secretary," Cheung told Fox News Digital.

Kimmel's criticism began on Monday, the day before Zacharia's first official press briefing. He displayed a gym selfie of Zacharia and joked about her qualifications, suggesting that having "blonde hair" and being able to "do a thumbs up" were sufficient for the role.

Zacharia, who previously served as a senior communications advisor for the Trump Media & Technology Group, was appointed by President Trump on Friday. Trump lauded her as "loyal and brilliant" and confident in her ability to "deliver strong results for our Country."

Her first official White House press briefing on Tuesday was described by The New York Times as a "bumpy debut." During the session, she momentarily referred to her husband, Tyler Zacharia, as "my president" before correcting herself.