Here's Why Jimmy Kimmel Was Smirking During Fergie's National Anthem

Jimmy Kimmel was one of the many faces that went viral after Fergie's unusually sultry performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" during Sunday's (February 18) performance at the NBA All-Star Game when cameras caught him smirking mid-number. Now, the late-night host has offered up an explanation for the good ol' moment on his late-night show.

"The reason I was smiling is because I love the national anthem so much," he joked on Jimmy Kimmel Live. "That's the face I make when I really love a song. That was some arrangement. In hindsight, trying to work in the words, 'My humps, my humps, my lovely lady lumps' may have been a mistake."

Fergie broke her silence on the performance in a statement, which was released on Monday via TMZ. "I've always been honored and proud to perform the national anthem and last night I wanted to try something special for the NBA," she said. "I'm a risk taker artistically, but clearly this rendition didn't strike the intended tone. I love this country and honestly tried my best."

Kimmel went on to lightly defend the pop star, saying, "She did not need to [apologize]. It's not like she was intentionally trying to ruin the song. In Fergie's defense, we don't know what Francis Scott Key was thinking when he wrote 'The Star Spangled Banner.' Maybe he wanted it to be sexy." Meanwhile, the rehearsal footage from the viral performance has surfaced onto the blogosphere and it's clear that the way the number panned out during the live broadcast was just the way she performed it during soundcheck. Click here to see the rehearsal footage!

Photo: YouTube/Jimmy Kimmel Live


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