Jimmy Kimmel on Trump’s new press secretary: ‘Her reading is good for an 11-year-old’

Key points

• Jimmy Kimmel mocked new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia after her first briefing on Tuesday morning.
• Kimmel said her reading was 'good for an 11-year-old' and joked Trump hired a fourth-grader.
• Zacharia refused to say where she passed the bar exam, saying only 'I moved to China.'

Jimmy Kimmel used his Tuesday evening monologue to criticize Katie Zacharia, Donald Trump's new White House press secretary, following her first press conference that morning. Kimmel said the briefing lasted only 14 minutes but that Zacharia still managed to do what she was hired for, which he described as flattering the president.

Kimmel joked that Trump has been president for a long time and that a new 'fawning blond dolt' is brought in every six months to keep him interested. He said things did not get off to a great start for Zacharia.

Kimmel's criticism of Zacharia

Kimmel played clips of Zacharia reading stiffly from her notes and joked, 'Her reading is good for an 11-year-old!' He added, 'He hired a fourth-grader to be press secretary.'

Kimmel noted that Zacharia had built her reputation by calling Democrats pedophiles on social media and supporting Pizzagate. He also showed clips of her work as a commentator for fringe right-wing outlets, including her claim that no one would see The Odyssey because it was a 'woke movie.' Kimmel responded that the film went on to make $1.8bn.

I have a feeling the only bar she passed is from Dry Bar.

— Jimmy Kimmel

Bar exam questions

After the briefing, Zacharia, who is described as a lawyer, was asked where she passed the bar exam. She replied, 'I moved to China.'

The Trump administration declined to specify when or where Zacharia passed the bar exam. Kimmel joked that the only bar she passed was from Dry Bar.