Jimmy Kimmel guest host makes Lindsey Graham death joke, says show could be ‘pulled off air again’

WASHINGTON, DC: ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ guest host Ike Barinholtz drew immediate attention Monday night after joking about the death of Sen Lindsey Graham, who died at 71, quipping that the remarks might get the show pulled from the air again, a reference to Kimmel's own brief suspension last year after he made jokes following the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

An autopsy performed on Sunday suggested that Graham died from an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Ike Barinholtz jokes Guillermo was 'close friends' with Lindsey Graham

"What a crazy weekend," Barinholtz told the audience. "Mitch McConnell is alive, Lindsey Graham is dead. There's so many opportunities to get Jimmy's show pulled off the air again. They're gonna pull it off!"

"Guillermo, I know you and him were close friends," Barinholtz added, appearing to joke as if Kimmel’s sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez and Graham were friends. "You hosted fundraisers for him at the Dave & Busters in Charleston. And I know you've prepared some heartfelt remarks. Do you want to share them with all of America right now?"

Rodriguez deflected, saying he would share the remarks later. "He's emotional, folks. He's emotional," Barinholtz joked to the crowd.

Lindsey Graham died from aortic dissection

Graham, one of the Senate's most active members, died Saturday night at the age of 71.

An autopsy performed Sunday concluded he died from an aortic dissection caused by arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

His death stunned Washington, as he had been scheduled to appear on NBC's "Meet the Press" the morning after he died and had shown no public signs of ill health in the days prior.

Graham served South Carolina in the Senate for more than two decades and had been one of the Republican Party's most prominent foreign policy voices.

Barinholtz also made jokes at the expense of Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who revealed Sunday that he had been hospitalized for weeks following a health scare but had not suffered a concussion, heart attack, stroke, or any tumors or hemorrhages, according to his doctors.

After joking about McConnell’s health Monday night, Barinholtz sarcastically remarked, "In all seriousness, though, I do want to extend well-wishes to Senator McConnell. I hope you get the quality healthcare you've fought so hard to deny everyone else. Pulling for you, Mitch!" 

The reference to the show being "pulled off the air" pointed to a real precedent. Jimmy Kimmel faced backlash and a temporary suspension last year after he made jokes following the death of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, who was killed in an attack in 2025.

The episode drew widespread criticism and prompted ABC to pull episodes of the show from the air before Kimmel returned to the program.