Emmys: Jimmy Kimmel Meets Jeb(!) and James Corden in Opening
Jeb Bush may not be in the running to be commander in chief anymore, but at least he’s staying in politics … kind of. The former Republican presidential candidate made a surprise cameo in Jimmy Kimmel’s pre-opening monologue Emmys video, which found the harried host catching rides with various celebrities on his way to hosting television’s biggest night.
Starting off in a familiar white Bronco driven by Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Kimmel next found his way into the Modern Family SUV before hopping into the limo where Jeb! was ferrying around fictional veep-turned-POTUS-turned-civilian Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). At least, Bush still displayed a sense of humor about his diminished career prospects. “If you run a positive campaign, the voters will ultimately make the right choice,” he informed a grateful Kimmel when the Emmys host expressed doubt about going home with a statue that evening. His passenger’s face lit up in a grin, until Bush reminded him, “Jimmy, that was a joke” and kicked him out of the ex-presidential limo.
Related: The Complete Emmys Winners List
Once back on the street, Kimmel still had to find a way to get to the ceremony. Fortunately, he lucked into a very special, very exclusive carpool club, courtesy of Late Late Show host James Corden. Being part of this particular club, of course, means that you’ve got to sing for your mileage. So the two late-night hosts got their Wham! on — complete with awesome ’80s hairstyles — while encouraging audiences to “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.” But Kimmel’s pipes paled in comparison to the many famous passengers who have ridden shotgun alongside Corden — from Beyoncé to FLOTUS — so he once again got dropped off several miles before his destination.
In the end, it took a certain Westerosi queen and her trusty dragon to deposit Kimmel onstage at the Microsoft Theater, though not before roasting Ryan Seacrest to a nice flambé on the red carpet.
