During a guest host spot on Tuesday's episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live," comedian and former Democratic Senator Al Franken had a few choice words for Texas Senator, Ted Cruz.
"I really think one of the most serious issues facing our country today is just how big a dick Ted Cruz is," Franken said during his opening monologue. "I've said it before, but I probably liked Ted Cruz more than most of my colleagues liked Ted Cruz, and I hate Ted Cruz. Ted Cruz is probably one of the most famous senators because, as I mentioned, he's a huge dick."
In response to the comments made by Franken against him, Cruz fired back on Twitter saying "Serial groper and disgraced, unemployed socialist is now guest hosting on national television and fantasizing about my genitalia. Stop catcalling me, Al. I don't want date you."
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The comment made by Cruz calling Franken a "groper" relates to an incident that came to light in 2017 in which Franken was accused of "forcibly kissing and groping" a radio news anchor with KABC in Los Angeles a decade prior, according to NBC News. During this time, Franken was still primarily known for his work on "Saturday Night Live," and the alleged offense against the news anchor was said to have taken place while rehearsing a skit Franken wrote for a USO show while they were both overseas entertaining U.S. troops.
"He said to me, 'We need to rehearse the kiss.' I laughed and ignored him. Then he said it again. I said something like, 'Relax Al, this isn't SNL. … We don't need to rehearse the kiss'," the announcer, Leeann Tweeden, said in a statement posted to KABC's website following the incident. "He continued to insist, and I was beginning to get uncomfortable."
On the flight back from the USO show, Franken had his photo taken seemingly groping the breasts of Tweeden while she slept. These offenses, and several similar ones that other women stepped forward with while Franken was in office led to him resigning in 2018.
"Al Franken was a comedian (pretty funny compared to you) and his picture was a joke. Was it in bad taste? Sure. At least he had the decency to resign. You should look into that Mr. Cancun," one person said in response to the tweet Cruz directed towards Franken.
"Your takeaway from this was him asking you on date? Oh you're trying to be cool in the most Ted Cruz cringeworthy way," another person said in a reply.
Watch Franken's full monologue here:
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