Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel is facing intense backlash for mocking plumbers on Monday night’s show. Critics are claiming he went too far. The late-night talk show host’s joke about Markwayne Mullin and plumbers has ignited controversy across the political spectrum. Many critics are calling his joke another insult by elites towards the hard-working class.
I don’t get it – it’s a flex AOC was a bartender, but it’s a negative Markwayne was a plumber?
You are such a hack. https://t.co/clMnaaA6wA
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) March 25, 2026
Supporters of MAGA as well as a section of the Internet are lighting up social media with criticism of Jimmy Kimmel after he mocked the new DHS secretary’s previous line of work, the Independent reports.
“Before he was elected to the Senate, Markwayne Mullin was a low-level MMA fighter and a plumber,” Kimmel grinned. “That’s right, we have a plumber protecting us from terrorism now. “Well, it worked for Super Mario, why not Markwayne,” he continued.
The Jimmy Kimmel Markwayne Mullin plumber jab almost immediately prompted political satire memes to begin appearing online.
I’ll take the plumber, Markwayne over Jimmy Kimmel any day 💪 pic.twitter.com/7NYrTKxOBh
— JeffXmemes (@JeffXmemes) March 26, 2026
Rep. Markwayne Mullin was sworn in on March 24 to lead the Department of Homeland Security. He replaces former Secretary Kristi Noem, who faced controversy during her time in office.
“The President has a whole new generation of thinkers lined up,” Jimmy Kimmel joked Tuesday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. During the segment, Jimmy Kimmel also floated the idea that President Donald Trump could inject a bit more entertainment into his DHS picks. “Instead of Markwayne, how about Lil Wayne for Homeland Security,” Kimmel joked, as a photo of Trump alongside the rapper appeared on screen.
He followed it up with another quip: “At least we could get a concert out of it, right?” The remarks quickly sparked backlash online, with GOP lawmakers and conservative commentators defending Markwayne Mullin and his blue-collar background.
“I prefer plumbers to woke and unfunny comedians,” Senator Ted Cruz wrote on X. Representative Mike Collins echoed the sentiment, posting: “The elites too often look down their noses at blue collar, middle America. They try to demean a man by calling him a plumber.”
Journalist Chris Cillizza wrote on X, “Not a great look.” Senator Cynthia Lummis branded the joke as “shameful” on social media. Several X users also expressed their anger at the joke, with one labelling the remark “unfunny. “I can’t wait for the day that Kimmel will be in need of a plumber,” another social media poster added.
After becoming a fifth-generation plumber who owned his family’s plumbing company by his teenage years, Mullin grew it into a multi-service company with dozens of employees all over Oklahoma. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2023, representing Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District, and was elected to the Senate during that term. By 2011, Tulsa World reported Mullin’s company was the largest plumbing company in his home state of Oklahoma.
However, speaking on The Elephant in the Room, Mullin admitted that he “never wanted to be a plumber.” Mullin said he and his wife had a “vision” to bring “pride” to the profession, including providing branded trucks and uniforms to their workers.
In his youth, Mullin had been a keen wrestler and went on to attend Missouri Valley College on a wrestling scholarship. However, according to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Mullin decided to leave the sport because of a recurring shoulder injury.
In 2016, the Oklahoma Chapter of NWHOF presented Mullin with an “Outstanding American” award, recognizing his success as a wrestler.
