Jimmy Kimmel Reacts to Viral Biden Video: ‘He Didn’t Freeze’

Jimmy Kimmel addressed a viral video of President Joe Biden freezing on the June 18 broadcast of Jimmy Kimmel Live! during his opening monologue. The video circulating on social media claims Biden froze onstage as he was exiting the star-studded Hollywood fundraiser that took place on June 15. At the event, Kimmel interviewed Biden and former President Barack Obama.

During his opening monologue, the late night host wrote off the viral video as inaccurately portraying the events of the night.

“You know there’s a clip of Joe Biden going around today,” Kimmel said. “They say he froze and that he had to be escorted off stage on Saturday night.”

This isn’t the first instance that social media has taken to fixating on out-0f-context clips of the president. Kimmel affirmed this sentiment by confirming that he was right next to Biden during the period of time featured in the viral clip. He also contested the video, saying that Biden did not freeze at all.

“I was standing right next to him when it happened,” he continued. “He didn’t freeze. He was listening to the people calling him in the front row.”

To further prove his point, and to continue with his ongoing beef with former President Donald Trump, Kimmel provided his own clip to show audiences. “The right wing media, while working very hard to claim Biden’s out of it, somehow seems to completely miss moments like this,” he opened.

Kimmel then played a segment of Trump boasting about having “aced” a “cognitive test” while crediting the White House doctor by the wrong name, calling him Ronny Johnson instead of Ronny Jackson. “If that was another cognitive test, you failed it, okay?” said Kimmel. Watch the late night host’s full monologue in the video above.

Also in attendance at Saturday’s Democratic fundraiser were stars including George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Barbra Streisand.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Weeknights, 11:35/10:35c, ABC