Pete Buttigieg jokes he was ‘about 40 years too young and 38 years too gay’ to be president
Pete Buttigieg guest hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live. (YouTube)
Pete Buttigieg joked about his failed presidential bid, coronavirus and Sarah Palin’s utterly bizarre turn on The Masked Singer as he guest hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live.
The Democrat stepped in for Kimmel on Thursday, March 12, night, giving his opening monologue to an empty studio audience due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“My name is Pete Buttigieg and I am running to be the next host of Jimmy Kimmel Live,” he began.
The Democrat explained that the studio audience had been replaced by a few Kimmel staffers and some friends, including his husband Chasten.
Regardless of the crisis, “America will always be America,” he said, before cutting to a clip of Palin on The Masked Singer.
“That’s going to be me in three months, isn’t it?” he laughed.
“You know some people have been skeptical about me hosting a show like this.
“They’re like, ‘You’re too inexperienced… you’ll never be a good late night host.’
Well, a lot of people said I’d never get elected president – and I showed them!
Of his aborted campaign, Buttigieg said: “Running for president was an amazing experience.
“The support my campaign got was unbelievable and I really thought we had a shot.
“Turns out I was about 40 years too young and 38 years too gay.”
Addressing his decision to suspend his campaign, he said: “Some candidates know when it’s time to get out of the race, and some candidates are Tulsi Gabbard.”
Pete Buttigieg takes aim at Trump and Pence.
“Although we didn’t win we achieved some pretty big milestones,” he continued, reminding viewers at home that he is the first gay person to ever win a presidential primary or caucus.
“And the first gay man in 30 years to wear pleated pants.”
The former South Bend, Indiana mayor also used his monologue to take shots at the current White House occupant.
As producers cut to stock footage of a cheering crowd to replace the usual studio audience, he jibed: “When you don’t have a real audience, you have to fake one. Just like Trump’s inauguration.”
Later in the show Buttigieg welcomed Star Trek legend Patrick Stewart to the stage.
“He’s in charge of a fictional star fleet. Just like Mike Pence,” he said.
