NBC’s “Meet the Press” panel gushed Sunday morning about former presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s humorous appearance on “Late Night” to “Slow-Jam the News” with NBC host Jimmy Fallon.
Host David Gregory laughed as they played the clip of Governor Romney on Fallon’s show: “Where was that Mitt Romney?”
“He’s a very funny guy in real life,” former Romney consultant Mike Murphy told the panel. “These guys are never the caricature that the campaign makes them.”
NBC’s Chuck Todd likened the stiff image presented of Gov. Romney to how Sen. Bob Dale was portrayed on the campaign trail: “1997. That was the problem. Bob Dole.”
Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez was sympathetic to the media storm that the former presidential candidate endured.
“It also shows how difficult politics really is on the family,” Sanchez told the NBC panel. “It really is the family that suffers.”
The New York Times’ Washington Bureau Chief Carolyn Ryan chimed in on the panel to say she had covered Romney in 1994 and she saw the governor’s “self-mocking sense of humor” and “sense of perspective.”
Appearing on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” Friday night, Romney shed his sometimes stiff persona and slow-jammed the week’s news with NBC host Jimmy Fallon.
Fallon began the segment as a preview to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union.
“President Obama will be delivering his annual State of the Union address where he is expected to outline his agenda for the coming year. You know I was about to make a joke about this story but I don’t think it needs a joke. I think it needs to be slow-jammed,” teased the NBC late-night host.
The “Late Night” audience cheered as Governor Romney came on stage to join Fallon.
Fallon continued: “That’s right. I want to slow-jam the news and I’m not the only one.”
Romney joined in as the crowd continued cheering: “Hello, I’m Governor Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts and Republican candidate for president. And I, too, would like to slow-jam this news.”
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To a jazzy beat, Romney began his slow-jam: “In just four days, President Obama will speak to the American people about some of the most important issues facing our nation today. From unemployment and debt, to immigration reform and education, as well as one of our most pressing concerns, the recent revelations that U.S. citizens have been exposed to widespread NSA wiretapping.”
“Aww, yeah,” Fallon quipped. “President Obama looked the American people up and down and said, ‘I’d tap that.’ But then NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden whipped out his whistle and started blowing.”
The former governor continued the slow-jam with criticism of the ObamaCare rollout.
Fallon hilariously joins in: “Glitch, please.”
Romney remained a good sport throughout the slow-jam as Fallon poked fun at his 2012 election loss and the former governor’s Gangnam-Style dancing.
Fallon has previously hosted Obama and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to “slow-jam the news” on his late-night program.