Jimmy Kimmel apologises for false claim that Pence carried empty boxes

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel apologized on Friday after a joke he made about Vice President Mike Pence was proven inaccurate. In the gag, Kimmel alleged that Pence was carrying empty boxes of personal protective equipment for the sake of a photo opportunity. The boxes, however, were not empty.

“It would appear that [Pence] was joking about carrying empty boxes for a staged publicity stunt,” a less than contrite Kimmel wrote on Twitter. “The full video reveals that he was carrying full boxes for a staged publicity stunt. My apologies. I know how dearly this administration values truth.”

On Thursday night, comedian Jimmy Kimmel aired a clip of Pence’s visit. He first suggested that Pence — “doing his best to lift them” — was pretending to strain as he took boxes off a cart. “Since it was going so well and also because he didn’t realize he had a mic on, Magic Mike decided to keep it going,” Kimmel said. “Listen in closely here.”

Pence is heard being told the remaining boxes are empty, and he responds: “Well, can I carry the empty ones? Just for the camera?”

Kimmel asserted, “Mike Pence pretending to carry a big box of PPEs into a hospital is the perfect metaphor for who he is and what he’s doing: a big box of nothing, delivering another box of nothing.”

Kimmel tweeted out the clip Friday morning, saying: “A big box of nothing, delivering another box of nothing.” It quickly went viral, accumulating millions of views.