The “Dirty Jobs” veteran ripped into Kimmel over his remarks, which some have called elitist<\/a>. Rowe said he took offense at the “suggestion that skilled workers should never evolve into something new,” asking if Mullin\u2019s career progression from plumbing business owner to Congress and then to a top Cabinet official is “not the embodiment of the American Dream?”<\/p>\n “Being offended is always a choice, and I don\u2019t choose to be offended by a joke, even one that comes at the expense of the skilled tradespeople my foundation tries to elevate,” Rowe wrote on X. “But I am a tad butt hurt by the suggestion that skilled workers should never evolve into something new, and that competence is somehow limited to one vocation.”<\/p>\n He continued, “Obviously, expertise and skill are important,” adding, “If I need a new kidney, I\u2019d prefer a doctor do the surgery, not a late-night talk show host. But if the doctor in question used to host a talk show, why would I hold that against him?”<\/p>\n JIMMY KIMMEL REFUSES TO BACK DOWN AFTER MOCKING SECRETARY MULLIN OVER PLUMBING BACKGROUND<\/a><\/p>\n Mike Rowe shared he took offense at Jimmy Kimmel bashing new DHS head Markwayne Mullin for being a former plumber. (Michael Buckner\/WireImage; Getty Images)<\/p>\n Kimmel, a regular critic of the Trump administration<\/a>, took flak last week for using Mullin\u2019s prior experience as a plumbing business owner as evidence that he is unqualified to lead DHS.<\/p>\n “Trump’s got a whole new generation of thinkers lined up, including his newly confirmed secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne \u2018Chuck Mike Bruce Dave\u2019 Melon \u2014 Mullin. Maybe melon’s better,” Kimmel said. “He’s the now former senator of Oklahoma. Before he was elected to the Senate, Markwayne Mullin was a low-level MMA fighter and a plumber. That’s right. We have a plumber protecting us from terrorism now. It worked for Super Mario. Why not Markwayne?”<\/p>\n He continued, “But honestly \u2014 I mean, if Trump is going to keep picking these unqualified people to run the department, why not have more fun with it? I mean, next time, instead of Markwayne, how about Lil Wayne for Homeland Security? At least we can get a concert out of it, right?”<\/p>\n Kimmel later doubled down, saying, “I\u2019m not upset that the head of Homeland Security used to be a plumber. I\u2019m upset that he isn\u2019t still a plumber.”<\/p>\n The late-night host added, “I wouldn\u2019t put a plumber in charge of Homeland Security for the same reason I wouldn\u2019t call a five-star general to pull a rat out of my toilet\u2026 We all have our areas of expertise.”<\/p>\n WATCH: TRUMP GOES VIRAL FOR ILLUSTRATING HOW TO CUT GOVERNMENT WASTE WITH HIS FAVORITE WHITE HOUSE PEN<\/a><\/p>\n Jimmy Kimmel’s comments on Markwayne Mullin, right, received backlash on X. (Randy Holmes\/Disney via Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Kimmel’s remarks were viewed as elitist by many commentators on X, who accused the comedian of mocking working-class professions. Among those offended by the joke was Rowe, who runs a nonprofit to promote skilled trade jobs called mikeroweWORKS.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n He emphasized that “the shortage of skilled tradespeople is now headline news and that closing it is nothing less than a matter of national security.”<\/p>\n “The only sensible thing to do in the wake of a moment this tone deaf is remind America that the skills gap is wide and getting wider,” Rowe wrote. “What we really need in this country are more welders who can talk intelligently about Aristotle, and more philosophers who can run an even bead. More generals, in other words, who can fix their own toilets, and more plumbers who can hold a powerful government job.”<\/p>\n “This is what Mullin did,” he continued.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Mike](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1200\/675\/mike-rowe-jimmy-kimmel.png?ve=1&tl=1\")
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