Jimmy Kimmel and More Celebrities Vent Fury Over Lion-Killing Dentist
If you were living in a WiFi-free cave yesterday, allow us to introduce you to the current Most Hated Man In the World: It's Walter Palmer, a Minnesota dentist and animal murderer big game hunter. According to CNN, Palmer gave roughly $50,000 to two Zimbabwe guides to help him lure a protected 13-year-old African lion out of a park so he could kill it with a bow and arrow. The lion, nicknamed Cecil, was loved by tourists and workers at the Hwange National Park. He reportedly died a slow and painful death over the course of 40 hours.
Palmer appears to show little actual shame about his illegal and inhumane act, and ended his public statement with, "Again, I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion." Translation: "Sorry I love hunting this lion you're all weirdly sad about for some legal reason, in conclusion, YAY HUNTING!"
Jimmy Kimmel addressed Palmer's grisly transgression on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night (July 28), and after recounting the story for the audience, he found himself overcome with emotion, ultimately choking up.
"Is it that difficult for you to get an erection, that you need to kill things?" the late-night host wondered aloud, saying Palmer's even less popular than Bill Cosby right now. Kimmel went on to clarify that he's not against hunting for population control or food necessity, but "If you’re some a-hole dentist who wants a lion’s head over the fireplace in his man cave so his douchebag buddies can gather around it and drink Scotch and tell him how awesome he is… that’s just vomitous.” Well put.
Kimmel went on to provide viewers with proof that Palmer has slaughtered a lot of big game in his day, showing photos of the dentist proudly posing with carcasses of a bear, another lion, a leopard and a rhino. The comedian advised donating to wildcru.org in lieu of a witch hunt, and that's when his feelings (understandably) overwhelmed him. "Maybe we can show the world that not all Americans are like this jackhole."
Jimmy Kimmel was far from the only celebrity to vent anger over Walter Palmer's illegal hunt — stars from Olivia Wilde to South African Victoria's Secret model Candice Swanepoel voiced their displeasure on social media. See their reactions below.