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Jimmy Kimmel guest host makes crude jokes about Lindsay Graham, sister replacing him as senator
By Hanna Panreck
Published July 15, 2026
Comedian Ike Barinholtz made some crude jokes about the late Sen. Lindsey Graham on Tuesday and his sister replacing him in the Senate while guest hosting Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show.
"But the big political story today is that we officially have a replacement for Lindsey Graham in the Senate," he said. "And it's Lindsey Graham's sister, which is very confusing because I always thought Lindsey Graham was Lindsey Graham's sister."
Graham's sister, Darline Graham, was sworn in on Tuesday to take over her brother's Senate seat and became the first female senator from South Carolina.
"Darline Graham Nordone, she was sworn in this afternoon on Capitol Hill and will finish her brother's term in office," Barinholtz added. "And Darlene said she'll work very hard over the next several months to support the president and she pledges to suck his t--- even harder than her brother did."
Guest host Ike Barinholtz appears on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on July 13, 2026. (Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to the office of the late Senator Graham for comment.
Barinholtz also joked that he liked that Graham was being replaced by his sister and said he was going to follow suit.
"In fact, I'm going to use it myself. I hereby decree that in the event I am unable to fill my duties here at the Jimmy Kimmel show, the remainder of my term as guest host will be served out by my sister, Ikena Barinholtz," he said, as he panned to a clip of him dressed as a woman in the audience.
During "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Monday, Barinholtz also joked about the late South Carolina senator's death, and included a quip about Mitch McConnell.
"What a crazy weekend," Barinholtz said. "Mitch McConnell is alive, Lindsey Graham is dead. There's so many opportunities to get Jimmy's show pulled off the air again. They’re gonna pull it off!"
He appeared to be referring to Kimmel’s brief suspension after he had joked about the death of conservative activist and TPUSA co-founder Charlie Kirk after he was assassinated last year.
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Graham, 71, died Saturday night. An autopsy performed on Sunday said that Graham died from an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
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Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has been absent from the Senate for weeks following a health scare. On Sunday, just hours after Graham's death, McConnell revealed details about his nearly month-long hospital stay, saying in a statement, "My doctors have confirmed that I didn’t break any bones or suffer a concussion. I didn’t have a heart attack or a stroke. I don’t have any tumors or hemorrhages."
After joking about McConnell’s health Monday night, Barinholtz sarcastically remarked, "In all seriousness, though, I do want to extend well-wishes to Senator McConnell. I hope you get the quality healthcare you've fought so hard to deny everyone else. Pulling for you, Mitch!"
https://www.foxnews.com/media/jimmy-kimmel-guest-host-makes-crude-jokes-about-lindsay-graham-sister-replacing-him-senator