Jimmy Kimmel marked Fox News' 30th anniversary with a satirical supercut compiling some of the network's most infamous culture-war controversies, spanning decades of coverage that ranged from former President Barack Obama's tan suit to the footwear of the green M&M's.

During Thursday's monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the ABC late-night host mocked the conservative network for its long-running habit of turning seemingly insignificant topics into political controversies.

Media magnate Rupert Murdoch launched Fox News on October 7, 1996. Kimmel asked himself what sort of birthday present would be fitting for "the network that ruined everything," before describing the channel as similar to Black Entertainment Television (BET) but aimed at 'angry white grandpas.'

He also ridiculed Murdoch, imagining the billionaire founding the channel after deciding that news coverage should reflect exactly what he personally wanted it to be. Kimmel joked that the network had fueled political divisions among American families, quipping that Fox News had made it harder for men to hold conversations with their fathers.

The segment featured a clip in which Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy promoted two limited-edition wines released to mark the network's anniversary. Kimmel then introduced what he called a "fair and balanced tribute" to Fox's thirty years on television — a nod to the slogan the network carried for much of its three decades on air.

The resulting montage showed Fox presenters reacting angrily to the wide variety of culture-war stories the channel regularly airs. Highlights included criticism of Obama's now-famous tan suit and his salute while holding a coffee cup — both 2014 moments that drew days of cable-news commentary — along with complaints about an alleged war on Christmas. Other clips captured conservative anger over Mr. Potato Head being made gender-neutral after Hasbro announced in 2021 that the toy line would be rebranded simply as Potato Head, allegations that Lego had adopted "woke" politics, and grievances that the green M&M chocolates were no longer wearing sexy boots — a reference to Mars' 2022 decision to put the character in sneakers instead.

The compilation also included former Fox host Megyn Kelly stating in a widely criticized 2013 segment that both Jesus and Santa Claus are white, as well as segments criticizing the animated character SpongeBob SquarePants for touching on the issue of global warming.

Kimmel argued that Fox News set the formula later followed by other conservative outlets such as Newsmax, Real America's Voice and the Right Side Broadcasting Network. He suggested the network's playbook was to keep older viewers politically agitated — getting them to "get mad and stay mad."

The late-night host closed the segment with a sarcastic expression of thanks for Fox News' three decades on the air. Returning to the anniversary wine featured earlier in the program, he concluded: "After watching that, I do need some wine."

Source: Alternet