Republicans have taken to X to criticize Jimmy Kimmel. During his monologue, Kimmel took aim at the new DHS head Markwayne Mullin, who was confirmed by the Senate. Mullin replaced Kristi Noem, who had been speculated to be on the chopping block amid various scandals facing Trump’s cabinet.
Speaking about Mullin’s career before he got into politics, Jimmy Kimmel said, “He’s the now former senator of Oklahoma. Before he was elected to the Senate, Markwayne Mullin was a low-level MMA fighter and a plumber. That’s right. We have a plumber protecting us from terrorism now. It worked for Super Mario. Why not Markwayne?”
Jimmy Kimmel criticized Markwayne Mullin as unfit to serve as DHS Secretary, pointing to his past work as a plumber and lower-tier MMA fighter before entering politics.
“Before he was elected to the Senate, Markwayne Mullin was a low-level MMA fighter and a plumber.” pic.twitter.com/0g1znxncNb
— ZEEZ 🌚 (@Swaggzeez1) March 25, 2026
This received a lot of backlash from Republicans, who called out the joke for being elitist. Ted Cruz, taking to X, said: “I prefer plumbers to woke & unfunny comedians.”
I prefer plumbers to woke & unfunny comedians. https://t.co/3nUseOoluy
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 25, 2026
Similar criticisms were levied on the comedian by people like Mikle Collins, who posted on X, saying, “The elites too often look down their noses at blue collar, middle America. They try to demean a man by calling him a plumber. As if plumbing is something to be ashamed of or is somehow a lesser profession than a court jester turning tricks on late-night commentary.”
Markwayne Mullin’s claim to fame, before he became Donald Trump’s DHS head pick, was when he challenged Teamsters President Sean O’Brien to a fistfight in 2023. Mullin criticized the salary that O’Brien received, which was $200,000 annually. Mullin himself received a congressional salary of $174,000. While Mullin only receives a salary for his congressional duties, he owns property in his home state and Washington, D.C., along with a home services company and several other businesses.
He is also the owner of a 1,600-acre cattle ranch, which is called Mullin Ranch LLC. According to Inc., his net worth is somewhere over $65 million.
Mullin takes over the DHS at a very tumultuous time in its history. As the government remains shut down, TSA agents have walked out of their jobs, with Trump directing ICE agents to take up vacant positions. Democrats have not agreed on the budget for the DHS and will not until some reforms are put in place to keep ICE and the Border Patrol from abusing their powers while apprehending non-citizens in the country. Regarding how he plans to run the DHS, Mullin has said that he is “not a micro-manager” and prefers to allow his subordinates to make decisions once they are adequately empowered.
