Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is once again making headlines for all the wrong reasons. During a recent monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the ABC comedian seemed to downplay the escalating acts of vandalism and arson targeting Tesla dealerships across the country, all while pushing a debunked claim that Elon Musk made a Nazi salute.
Kimmel’s Sarcasm Downplays Violence Against Tesla
Instead of condemning the attacks—some of which involved Molotov cocktails and resulted in multiple vehicles being set ablaze—Kimmel opted for snide remarks and sarcasm.
“Poor guy,” Kimmel said mockingly of Musk, before quipping, “You do one, maybe two, Nazi salutes, everybody gets all bent out of shape.”
The problem? Musk never made a Nazi salute.
The claim originated from a completely misrepresented moment during President Trump’s second inauguration event in January. Musk, in a gesture of respect, first placed his hand on his chest before extending his arm outward, explaining it as a way of saying, “My heart goes out to you.” Even the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)—no fan of Musk—admitted the gesture was not intended as a Nazi salute.
Yet, that didn’t stop Kimmel from repeating the lie to his audience, reinforcing a baseless narrative already peddled by left-wing media.
Joking About Arson and Tesla Explosions
Kimmel then turned to the actual attacks on Tesla, addressing them with a mix of dark humor and sarcasm.
“Someone lit a bunch of Teslas on fire,” he said. “And here’s the thing, I get that people are upset, [but] burning a car might not be great for the environment. I don’t think that’s what they had in mind when they invented the electric car.”
He even joked about Tesla explosions, saying, “One from the Molotov, and four because that’s just what Teslas do sometimes.”
If the situation were reversed—if conservatives were setting fire to businesses owned by left-wing billionaires—the outrage from the corporate media would be deafening. But because it’s Elon Musk, a man who has refused to toe the liberal line, his suffering becomes late-night comedy material.
Musk, for his part, has expressed bewilderment at the attacks on his company. Speaking with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, he pointed out that Tesla has never done anything harmful and questioned the mindset behind the destruction.
“Tesla is a peaceful company. We’ve never done anything awful. I’ve never done anything awful. I’ve only done productive things. So, I think we just have a deranged—there’s some kind of mental illness thing going on here, because this doesn’t make any sense,” Musk said.
Kimmel, of course, took the opportunity to mock him again, sarcastically attributing Tesla’s problems to Musk receiving a chainsaw as a symbolic gift from Argentina’s President Javier Milei at CPAC last month.
“When you pull out a chainsaw to celebrate firing thousands of people, they get mad,” Kimmel quipped.
But Kimmel conveniently ignored the actual meaning behind the chainsaw—it was a symbol of cutting government waste, not mass layoffs.
Perhaps the most disturbing part of Kimmel’s segment came when he addressed Tesla’s declining stock prices in light of the attacks. Using his signature dry delivery, he seemingly encouraged further vandalism.
“Vandalizing Tesla vehicles, new Tesla vehicles? Please, don’t ever vandalize Tesla vehicles,” he said, before pausing dramatically as his audience burst into laughter.
While he can hide behind the veil of “just jokes,” the reality is that influential figures like Kimmel contribute to a culture where targeting political opponents—whether through smears, economic punishment, or outright violence—is increasingly acceptable.
Kimmel’s monologue highlights the glaring hypocrisy of the media and entertainment elites. When the left claims to be against violence, it’s often conditional. If the target is someone like Musk—a billionaire who has become a free speech advocate and refuses to align with their agenda—violence and destruction are treated as punchlines.
The attacks on Tesla, whether motivated by politics or something else, are serious crimes. If Kimmel had an ounce of integrity, he would unequivocally condemn them. Instead, he’s busy spreading falsehoods, ridiculing victims, and making excuses for lawlessness—all while his audience cheers him on.
It’s just another day in the world of left-wing late-night television.
