--- description: The late-night host condemned the American hunter Walter Palmer and even teared up while talking about the lion title: Jimmy Kimmel Is Really, Really Upset About the Dentist That Killed Cecil the Lion image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1aa7e215bffd4430/69885cf6e20a8716d8a8c7da/screen-shot-2015-07-29-at-11-19-05.png?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Jimmy Kimmel Is _Really_ Upset About the Dentist That Killed Cecil the Lion by [Megan Gibson](/author/megan-gibson/) ## Megan Gibson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 29, 2015 10:24 AM CUT  by [Megan Gibson](/author/megan-gibson/) ## Megan Gibson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 29, 2015 10:24 AM CUT Jimmy Kimmel is known for his biting wit, but on _Jimmy Kimmel Live_ Tuesday night he was as serious as could be on the topic of Cecil the lion. People around the world have been outraged at the news that a 55-year-old American dentist Walter Palmer hunted, maimed and, ultimately, killed a lion during a safari holiday in Zimbabwe. It also emerged that Palmer had hunted numerous big-game animals in the past. But the lion that he killed most recently turned out to be Cecil, a star attraction at Hwange National Park, who was being studied and tracked by Oxford University. **Read more:** [_Why Big Game Hunters Believe They’re the Real Conservationists_](http://time.com/3976779/hunters-conservationists/ "undefined") Count Kimmel among the outraged and he used his late-night show to condemn the dentist, asking “is it that difficult for you to get an erection that you need to kill things that are stronger than you?” The comedian was so upset, he even teared up as he called on people to make donations to the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at Oxford, saying he wanted to turn the story into a “positive” one. Watch the full clip below: ### Here Are Famous People Posing With Animals They've Killed  After serving as President of the United States in 1909, Teddy Roosevelt went on an 11-month, 2,500-mile safari. The expedition was funded as a scientific expedition by the Smithsonian Institution, according to the Theodore Roosevelt Association. On the trip, Roosevelt trapped or shot over 11,000 animals, including elephants, hippos, and white rhinos. Corbis  Prince Harry crouches over a water buffalo he shot and killed in South America in 2004. © SIPA/REX  Troy Gentry, of the country singing duo Montgomery Gentry, killed this captive black bear in Minnesota in October 2004\. He was sentenced to three months of probation and a $15,000 fine and was banned from hunting in Minnesota for five years.  Donald Trump, Jr., posing with a buffalo in Zimbabwe during a safari trip in 2012. Hunting Legends Africa  Eric Trump, son of Donald Trump, posing with a buffalo in Zimbabwe during a safari trip in 2012. Hunting Legends Africa  Justin Tuck, defensive end for the Oakland Raiders, told Outdoor Life about his enjoyment of the challenge of bow hunting. He also discussed his big game trip to Africa, where he shot a hartebeest, zebra, wildebeest, hyena and water buffalo.  Glenn McGrath, Australian international cricketer, posing with an elephant in Zimbabwe during a safari trip in 2008. Hunting Legends Africa  Miranda Lambert poses with a deer. She also was shown to kill an Alligator during an appearance on the Sportsman Channel's "Country Boys Outdoors,” in 2010. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3976423/jimmy-kimmel-cecil-lion-hunt/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3976423/jimmy-kimmel-cecil-lion-hunt/"},"headline":"Jimmy Kimmel Is Really Upset About the Dentist That Killed Cecil the Lion","datePublished":"2015-07-29T10:24:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:47:12.533Z","description":"The late-night host even got choked up talking about it","url":"https://time.com/3976423/jimmy-kimmel-cecil-lion-hunt/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Television"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1aa7e215bffd4430/69885cf6e20a8716d8a8c7da/screen-shot-2015-07-29-at-11-19-05.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan Gibson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/megan-gibson/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1aa7e215bffd4430/69885cf6e20a8716d8a8c7da/screen-shot-2015-07-29-at-11-19-05.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Screen Shot 2015-07-29 at 11.19.05","caption":"","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3976423/jimmy-kimmel-cecil-lion-hunt/","name":"Jimmy Kimmel Is Really Upset About the Dentist That Killed Cecil the Lion"}}]}] ```