The late show host apologized to viewers who were offended by his jokes mocking Melania Trump, and extended a halfhearted apology to the Fox News host.
Jimmy Kimmel is extending an olive branch to Fox News host Sean Hannity after days of bickering.
Following a profane, high-profile feud between the TV personalities -- which lead to Kimmel jokingly insinuating that Hannity and President Donald Trump have had a sexual relationship in the past -- the comedian took to Twitter to call out the right-wing trolls who have threatened his family in the past few days and to apologize to anyone who was offended by his jokes.
"While I admit I did have fun with our back and forth, after some thought, I realize that the level of vitriol from all sides (mine and me included) does nothing good for anyone and, in fact, is harmful to our country," Kimmel wrote in a statement shared to Twitter on Sunday. "Even in 2018, the vile attacks against my wife and wishes for death on my infant son are shocking, and I encourage those who made them to give their words and actions thought."
Kimmel said that he will also "give my words more thought, and recognize my role in inciting their hatefulness."
The spat began last week when Kimmel poked fun at First Lady Melania Trump's Slovenian accent during his Jimmy Kimmel Live monologue. Hannity -- who frequently mocked former First Lady Michelle Obama during her eight years in the White House -- took offense to this, and slammed the late night host during his primetime Fox News show, where he called Kimmel a "despicable disgrace."
This sparked a war of words, with Kimmel firing back during a segment on his show the next evening, and then the pair duked it out on Twitter. Eventually, Hannity referred to Kimmel as "Harvey Weinstein Jr.," and insinuated that some of Kimmel's past comedy sketches were akin to the former movie mogul's alleged sexual assault of dozens of women.
During their escalating feud, Kimmel joked at Hannity, "Don't worry - just keep tweeting - you'll get back on top! (or does Trump prefer you on bottom?) Either way, keep your chin u, big fella."
The remark was decried as "homophobic" by some in the media -- most notably in an opinion piece published by The Daily Beast -- which Kimmel addressed in his apology.
"By lampooning Sean Hannity's deference to the President, I most certainly did not intend to belittle or upset members of the gay community and to those who took offense, I apologize," he said.
He also sought to end the feud with Hannity with a mea culpa that seemed to throw more shade than anything else, but a mea culpa nonetheless.
"I will take Sean Hannity at his word that he was genuinely offended by what I believed and still believe to be a harmless and silly aside referencing our First Lady's accent," Kimmel wrote. "Miss Trump almost certainly has enough to worry about without being used as a prop to increase TV ratings."
"I am hopeful that Sean Hannity will learn from this too and continue his newly-found advocacy for women, immigrants and First Ladies and that he will triumph in his heroic battle against sexual harassment and perversion," Kimmel concluded.
Hannity responded to Kimmel's tweet with a screengrab of a news article regarding Kimmel's statement, writing, "Just had this pop up. I am at a tournament with my daughter. I’ll have a full and comprehensive response tomorrow on Hannity."
Kimmel has increasingly changed the focus of his nightly monologue onto politics, particularly in the wake of numerous mass shootings and the birth of his son, William, who turns 1 later this month.
His baby boy was born with a serious heart issue that required multiple surgeries, which led to Kimmel passionately opposing Trump's multiple healthcare plans in tearful segments on his late night show. Check out the video below to hear more about Kimmel's political awakening.
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