Jimmy Kimmel's Guest Host Sparks MAGA Fury by Mocking Lindsey Graham Days After Senator's Death — 'Pure Trash!'
Jimmy Kimmel stand-in Ike Barinholtz sparked a MAGA backlash after mocking Lindsey Graham days after his death.
July 16 2026, Published 3:45 p.m. ET
Ike Barinholtz has sparked a MAGA backlash after making crude jokes about Lindsey Graham, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The comedian, who is one of the stable of rotating hosts fronting Jimmy Kimmel Live during his summer break, mocked Graham and sister Darline Graham Nordone after she was appointed to serve out the remainder of her late brother’s Senate term.
Ian Barinholtz Ripped for 'Disgusting' Jokes
Ian Barinholtz's jokes did not go down well with the MAGA TV audience.
He said: "But the big political story today is that we officially have a replacement for Lindsey Graham in the Senate and it's Lindsey Graham's sister, which is very confusing because I always thought Lindsey Graham was Lindsey Graham's sister."
Noting that Nordone had just been sworn in, Barinholtz, 49, cracked, "said she'll work very hard over the next several months to support the president, and she pledges to suck his t--s even harder than her brother did."
His quips, which took place on Tuesday's show, were greeted with howls of condemnation from MAGA viewers on X, where one user fumed: "Disgusting. Good grief," and another snapped: "Pure trash, nothing remotely funny."
Social Media user laid into Barinholtz for his Graham-related gags.
During his monologue, Barinholtz joked that he approved so strongly of the idea of Graham's sister replacing him that he was "going to use it myself."
He proclaimed that "in the event I am unable to fill my duties here at the Jimmy Kimmel show, the remainder of my term as guest host will be served out by my sister, Ikina Barinholtz. She's here with us tonight. Say hi."
The show cut to a shot of Barinholtz in the audience in drag, putting down his knitting to offer a wave, a smile, and a coquettish: "Hi, boys!"
X users once again hit out, one saying: "Nonstop vial trash from the production & network," and denounced Barinholtz as a "Disgusting leftist irrelevant pukestain."
Ian Barinholtz Pokes Fun at Jimmy Kimmel Feud With Donald Trump
The comedian also poked fun at Kimmel's long-standing feud with Donald Trump.
"They don't know this is why they keep losing," one wrote as another sniffed: "Is Ike a comedian? He’s not funny. Perhaps he's just a dipsh-t."
"Using Johnny Carson's body language does not make you Johnny Carson," another observed, while still another emitted a similarly nostalgic sigh: "Sure miss Carson & (David) Letterman. Quit the late-night talk shows years ago."
The previous night, Barinholz once again made light of Graham’s death during his opening monologue, relating the story to Kimmel’s previous brushes with Donald Trump.
He said, "What a crazy weekend. Mitch McConnell's alive. Lindsey Graham is dead. There's so many opportunities to get Jimmy's show pulled off the air again."
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Trump's eulogy towards Graham was heavily mocked.
After mocking Trump’s rambling eulogy, Barinholtz continued: "No Trump eulogy for Lindsey Graham would be complete without a loose five on rigged elections."
During his Fox & Friends appearance, Trump, 80, praised Graham, who passed away last Saturday following a heart issue aged 71, for remaining loyal to him, giving a "99 instead of 100" with the sole exception of "one bad moment" – a viral speech delivered in the Senate chamber while debating whether to reject Arizona's 2020 electoral votes for Joe Biden.
"Now he had one bad moment, and that was you know on the January 6 thing ... then he called me like about 40 minutes later, and he said, 'Did I really say that? I can't believe it,' and he took it back ... so I give him a 99 instead of a 100," Trump said.
