Jimmy Kimmel Made Fun of a Plumber. Here’s Why He’s Dead Wrong.

Trades reward skill, responsibility, and problem‑solving—qualities the modern economy increasingly depends on.

EXPERT OPINION BY SUZANNE LUCAS, HUMAN RESOURCES CONSULTANT, EVIL HR LADY @REALEVILHRLADY

Jimmy Kimmel. Photos: Getty Images; Adobe Stock

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel mocked newly confirmed Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin because he was a plumber before becoming a congressman and, later, a senator from Oklahoma.

What Kimmel (who dropped out of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas and has only an honorary doctorate from the same institution, where he “joked that he had worked harder on his commencement speech than on all the homework he’d had at UNLV”) probably didn’t expect the backlash he got.

People respect plumbers, as they should.

The resurgence of blue-collar jobs

In January, The Wall Street Journal ran an article advising white-collar professionals to consider retraining in blue-collar roles. (Although, admittedly, the article emphasized how you could move from the blue-collar role into a management role in a matter of years.)

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Mike Rowe, former host of Dirty Jobs, started a foundation, Mike Rowe Works, that provides scholarships for people who want to get their hands dirty. The about section describes the discrimination blue-collar workers face. 

“Over the last 30 years, America has convinced itself that the best path for the most people is an expensive, four-year degree. Pop culture has glorified the “corner office job” while unintentionally belittling the jobs that helped build the corner office. As a result, our society has devalued any other path to success and happiness. Community colleges, trade schools, and apprenticeship programs are labeled as ‘alternative.’”

People are listening, and Gen Z, especially, is turning toward the trades. There is a tremendous shortage of skilled tradespeople. Randstand predicts that the U.S. “manufacturing sector may need up to 3.8 million new workers by 2033, with nearly half of those roles at risk of going unfilled, if current dominant trends persist.”

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