Dua Lipa Guest Hosted ‘Jimmy Kimmel’ And It Was Awkward As Hell

With Jimmy Kimmel taking a step back from hosting his late-night show this summer to have a bit of R&R, a set of guest hosts are filling in — and first cab-off-the-rank is Dua Lipa. It’s an odd watch. Not necessarily bad, just… different.

Given late-night hosts are currently recording shows from home due to COVID-19, it’s a tough gig for even a veteran — if you’ve caught any opening monologues from Kimmel, Fallon or James Corden in the past few months, you’ll know that these shows really feed off a live audience’s energy.

Removing the laughter gives each joke a slight desperation, as these world-class comedians suddenly have only silence as a reaction, which, if you’ve ever attended an amateur comedy night, you know is deadly. That’s not to say it’s bad, of itself: just inherently awkward.

Dua, to her credit, gives it her all in her opening monologue, filled with punchlines. She introduces herself and makes light of the awkwardness, admitting it’s a first for her.

“It’s a totally new experience for me, and I’ve never done a monologue or interviewed celebrities,” she says. “But before this year, I’d never gone to Whole Foods in a hazmat suit. So let’s give it a shot.”

And so she does, using her pop-star magnetism to elevate some so-so jokes. The star walks us through her tattoos, goes ‘undercover’ to interview senior citizens on what they think about this ‘Dua Lipa’ girl, and introduces the show, which includes an interview with Gwen Stefani.

The two have natural chemistry, which bodes well for their upcoming collab on Dua’s remix version of her sophomore album, Future Nostalgia, out August 28. Stefani is on a remix of ‘Physical’ with Mark Ronson; other names attached to the album include Madonna, Missy Elliott and The Blessed Madonna (fka The Black Madonna).

Dua Lipa recently caused a stir online for a Tweet which seemingly called for a ‘greater Kosovo’, a geopolitical stance with fascist leanings — she subsequently clarified that she isn’t a fascist.

Watch both the opening monologue and video below.