Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who is attempting to make a comeback after a series of public scandals lost him most of his political power, may have taken a few steps backward by appearing on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Monday night. "Now don't get me wrong," said Kimmel to Ford, in a warning of what was to come. "I am very, very happy that you're here. But why are you here? What good could come of this? Have you ever seen this show?"
For a majority of his program, Kimmel then proceeded to make Ford the butt of the jokes -- jokes that Ford awkwardly tried to be a part of, but was ultimately not. The host contrasted the man with bad ties to photogenic Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and asked Ford point-blank questions like, "Are you homophobic?" and, regarding his exercise routine, "Does it actually exist?" Kimmel, admittedly "obsessed" with Ford, even grilled the mayor about his eating habits.
Kimmel then walked Ford over to a screen, where he played many of the infamous Ford video clips, including one in which the mayor was taped threatening to kill a man. Kimmel forced Ford to respond to each clip, and when Ford demurred, Kimmel said, incredulous, "You have that many enemies that you don't know who this one was?"
After having one last laugh, Kimmel turned serious for a moment and implored the mayor to get treatment. "As a human being, you seem like a nice guy to me," Kimmel began. "If you are an alcoholic, drinking enough that you would try crack in his 40s and you don't remember it, maybe that's something that you might want to think about, like talking to somebody."
But Ford laughed at the suggestion, reacting to the request the same way he reacted to the jokes. "I wasn't elected to be perfect, Jimmy, I was elected to clean up the mess that I inherited, and that's exactly what I've done," he replied.
"It's something to think about," said Kimmel. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, and I think it might be a good example for other people who might be in a similar situation."
"Talk is cheap," said Ford. "Action speaks louder than words. We'll let the people decide on Oct. 27. I'm just a normal average, hardworking politician that's real."
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