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Caitlyn Jenner Slams Jimmy Kimmel for Calling Her 'Trump in a Wig'

Caitlyn Jenner and Jimmy Kimmel

Jenner is calling the late-night host transphobic, but some are critiquing Jenner, a conservative and onetime Trump supporter, for "feigned indignation."

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Caitlyn Jenner, who's hoping to become governor of California if Gavin Newsom is recalled, is calling late-night host Jimmy Kimmel transphobic for likening her to Donald Trump in a wig.

Kimmel made fun of Jenner's Thursday interview on The View during his monologue later that day on Jimmy Kimmel Live! "Caitlyn Jenner has a better chance of being the next Batman than she does governor of California," he said, adding, "Are we sure that isn't Donald Trump in a Caitlyn Jenner wig?" Kimmel asked while showing side-by-side images of Trump and Jenner. "The resemblance is uncanny."

During her appearance on The View, Jenner had compared herself to Trump. "He was a disrupter when he was president," she said. "I want to do the same thing." Jenner, a Republican, had supported Trump for president in 2016 but not for reelection in 2020 because of his anti-transgender policies.

Kimmel's "wig" comment didn't sit well with her. "He obviously believes that trans women are simply men with wigs on," she tweeted.

She also called Kimmel out for past offenses, such as appearing in blackface on The Man Show in the 1990s, for which he's apologized; an early-career appearance asking women to "guess what's in my pants"; and a bit on his own show in 2013 allowing a child to joke about killing Chinese people, for which his network, ABC, has apologized. He apparently hasn't responded to Jenner's Thursday tweet.

Jenner's tweet attracted some support among Twitter users but some criticism as well. Several commenters said she was engaging in "faux outrage," given that she's supported many of Trump's policies. During her gubernatorial campaign, which has stirred little enthusiasm among voters, she has employed numerous Trump allies and endorsed anti-trans legislation that has been introduced in many states and passed in a few, keeping trans girls and women from competing in school sports under their gender identity. Trump has likewise supported such legislation.

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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.