Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is touching on former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) testing positive for COVID-19.
“You know who tested positive for COVID, our old lipstick on a pitbull herself, Sarah Palin,” Kimmel said during a segment of Thursday night’s show.
Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, announced this week that she and some of her family members contracted COVID-19. She said her COVID-19 case is proof “anyone can catch this,” Palin told People.
“How? She does not know,” Kimmel continued, joking, “Sarah Palin lives in Alaska. You almost have to try to catch COVID in Alaska.”
He added:
“It’s easier to catch a bald eagle than COVID in Alaska.”
Kimmel called it “rich” that Palin is now encouraging others to wear masks, as he noted that she traveled in May 2020 to visit a salon in Texas to support the owner. The owner had gone to jail for refusing to shut her business down amid the pandemic, as Kimmel noted.
“I love these people who only believe in science when it happens to them,” Kimmel said, adding, “It’s like saying, ‘Now that I’ve been mauled by a bear personally I realize that their claws and teeth are very sharp.'”
Watch the video below:
Relating to the coronavirus pandemic, Kimmel previously praised Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, for not “[sugarcoating] his words and [refusing] to be pressured by politicians.” Fauci was listed as one of the top leaders of 2020 by Time magazine.
Palin told People after she tested positive for COVID-19, “I strongly encourage everyone to use common sense to avoid spreading this and every other virus out there.”
“There are more viruses than there are stars in the sky, meaning we’ll never avoid every source of illness or danger … But please be vigilant, don’t be frightened, and I advise reprioritizing some personal time and resources to ensure as healthy a lifestyle as you can create so when viruses do hit, you have at least some armor to fight it,” she added.
Alaska spiked in regard to COVID-19 cases reported in the state in early December but saw a decrease after. There has been a 34% increase over a 14-day change in the state, according to The New York Times. Twenty-three percent of people in the state have been fully vaccinated, the Times reports. Businesses are mostly open and masks are not required.
