Kimmel Has One Response to 'Thanks' on Health Care

Jimmy Kimmel tells Vulture that when he goes out in public these days, about 30 people a day will come up to him and say thanks for speaking out on health care. By now he has a set response. "I always ask, 'Have you called your congressman?'" he says. "Most people sheepishly say they haven’t." The lesson he draws is that "we only have ourselves to blame for any of this" and that "we need to be more aware and active citizens." The comments come in a lengthy interview in which Kimmel talks about his unexpected role as a political figure, not just on health care but on gun control. The former is because of his infant son's heart defect, the latter because of the massacre in his hometown of Las Vegas. Kimmel says that he did not intend to take on this new role, but that he can't avoid it.

"I go to bed worried and I wake up worried, and I honestly don’t know if things are going to be OK," he says. "I worry that we’re going to look back at Donald Trump almost fondly because someone worse will come after him." In the wide-ranging interview, Kimmel looks ahead to next year's Oscars, already thinking of the fine line he'll have to tread as host in regard to the victims of Harvey Weinstein. "There’ll be a lot of people in that room who maybe have been through experiences with him, and that’s not something I want them to relive on the night they get their Oscar." He also thinks it's a perfect time for a reboot of the politically incorrect show that helped launch his career, the Man Show, and talks about how a self-proclaimed shy guy can do his job. "I always imagine it’s a little like being a prostitute, where you disassociate." Click for the full interview. (More Jimmy Kimmel stories.)