Jimmy Kimmel has finally issued a lengthy “apology” as a result of the firestorm over his past blackface impressions of former NBA superstar Karl Malone. Whom he blamed for the delay was far more revealing.

Saying he had “long been reluctant to address” the controversy, the embattled late night host went to great lengths to justify rationalize deflect explain his blackface portrayal of Malone.

I have long been reluctant to address this, as I knew doing so would be celebrated as a victory by those who equate apologies with weakness and cheer for leaders who use prejudice to divide us. That delay was a mistake. There is nothing more important to me than your respect, and I apologize to those who were genuinely hurt or offended by the makeup I wore or the words I spoke.

On KROQ radio in the mid-90s, I did a recurring impression of the NBA player Karl Malone. In the late 90s, I continued impersonating Malone on TV. We hired makeup artists to make me look as much like Karl Malone as possible. I never considered that this might be seen as anything other than an imitation of a fellow human being, one that had no more to do with Karl’s skin color than it did his bulging muscles and bald head.

Yeah, this isn’t racist at all.

Kimmel attempted to justify his blackface by running through a short list of impressions he’s done of other celebrities.

I’ve done dozens of impressions of famous people, including Snoop Dogg, Oprah, Eminem, Dick Vitale, Rosie, and many others. In each case, I thought of them as impersonations of celebrities and nothing more. Looking back, many of these sketches are embarrassing, and it is frustrating that these thoughtless moments have become a weapon used by some to diminish my criticisms of social and other injustices.

I believe that I have evolved and matured over the last twenty-plus years, and I hope that is evident to anyone who watches my show. I know that this will not be the last I hear of this and that it will be used again to try to quiet me. I love this country too much to allow that. I won’t be bullied into silence by those who feign outrage to advance their oppressive and genuinely racist agendas.

My summer vacation has been planned for more than a year and includes the next two summers off as well. I will be back to work in September.

Thank you for giving me an opportunity to explain and to those I’ve disappointed, I am sorry.

Sincerely,

Jimmy Kimmel

Whew!

Statement from @jimmykimmel pic.twitter.com/8eBDG5Kcm8

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) June 23, 2020

As “they” say, there’s a lot to “unpack,” here. Let’s get after it.

So Kimmel “has been reluctant to address” his use of blackface because he’s been afraid that “doing so would be celebrated as a victory by those who equate apologies with weakness and cheer for leaders who use prejudice to divide us”? (See: “Donald Trump.”)

Setting aside whomever he suggested would “equate apologies with weakness,” Kimmel was afraid that an apology would help Trump?

How could Trump’s “prejudice” hurt anyone but Trump — including Jimmy Kimmel, self-professed defender against all things “racist”?

So who’s really to blame here, Jimmy? Who is it that you’ve been so afraid would attempt to “bully you into silence” with “feigned outrage”? Yes, it’s those evil conservatives who want to bring you down by “advancing their oppressive” and “genuinely racist agendas.”

Who knew?

Dude, did you even think this through while you were writing it? Before you released it? You do know that it makes absolutely zero sense, right?

Why would conservatives or anyone else who would like nothing more than to see you suffer the consequences over this want to silence you? To the contrary, seems to me that they would be more than happy to help you spread it far and wide — which is exactly what we’re doing.

Incidentally, Kimmel “forgot” to address his use of the N-word on a past Christmas album. Yeah, a Christmas album.

As we reported yesterday, Kimmel, who has claimed that audio exists of Trump using the N-word, has himself dropped the N-bomb — on former “Man Show” co-host Adam Carolla’s podcast  — six times — while busting out a “black voice” to impersonate Snoop Dog. As luck would have it, audio of Kimmel’s “black” schtick exists.

Warning: offensive language.

Thread:
In 2018, Jimmy Kimmel begged Tom Arnold to release a Trump 'N-word' tape. No tape has surfaced.

However, in audio obtained by Fox this weekend, Kimmel imitates a black comedian (https://t.co/dN9pe8MN0y) and uses the 'N-word' six times. (https://t.co/yJ5gPDxygC). 1/2

— Gregg Re (@gregg_re) June 22, 2020

So what should be the consequences for Kimmel? After all, comedian Kevin Hart was forced to withdraw as host of the 2019 Academy Awards after decade-old “homophobic” tweets surfaced, for which he had previously apologized, multiple times.

kevin hart had to give up hosting the Oscars for decade old tweets yet jimmy kimmel did multiple sketches in blackface & gets to host the 2020 Emmys. huh. pic.twitter.com/WXLEz4DJeN

— 𓁍𓀟𓀠𓀣𓇚 (@trxpkill) June 22, 2020

Should Kimmel lose his show? Particularly given the zero-tolerance hyper-sensitivity on the Left to all things it deems “racist”?

I mean, when two cartoons, a pancake mix, box of rice, ice cream bar, and a syrup bottle are “racist,” what should now become of Kimmel?

I’ll make a “bold” prediction.

Given Kimmel’s status as ABC’s Trump-trashing poster boy, absolutely nothing will happen to him — he’s not going anywhere. After all, the hypocrisy of the Left knows no bounds.

Jimmy Kimmel is simply the latest example of that hypocrisy.