Jimmy Kimmel said Tuesday day night that Rob Ford paid for his own flight to Los Angeles to appear on the late-night comedian's show.
Kimmel was addressing reports that Ford was upset about the way he was portrayed on the show Monday night when he revealed who paid for the flight.
"He did say he wished he had more time to promote the city of Toronto, which I understand, you know he spent a lot of money flying all the way out here."
Kimmel then aired a segment of his tour of the city over the summer. He did not address who picked up the cost for other aspects of Ford's trip or whether it was the mayor or his office who paid for the flight.
There have been numerous questions about who paid for the mayor's trip to L.A., as well as who picked up the tab for his brother Doug Ford. Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong told Global's Jackson Proskow that the city's integrity commissioner told him that councillors are barred from accepting paid travel from media organizations.
Ford also attended a party at the W Hotel while in L.A. and there were questions about whether he paid for a $2,500 cabana at the shindig. A spokesperson for the mayor later told Toronto Life that Ford did not pay for the use of the Cabana. The Globe and Mail reports that Ford was the guest of a local businessman at the party.
But that doesn't mean Kimmel didn't pick up part of the cost of the trip. Doug Ford told Proskow that "Kimmel is paying some and we’re paying some," leaving unanswered questions about exactly what was covered by whom. Three staffers in Ford's office also accompanied the mayor to L.A.
Ford's sweaty appearance on the show, in which Kimmel mercilessly mocked him for around 20 minutes, has already been widely labelled a disaster. A scandal over who paid would be the cherry on top of the Los Angeles debacle and it seems Kimmel and the mayor's office are doing their best to nip it in the bud.
HuffPost Canada has asked the mayor's office to explain who paid for what on the L.A. trip and this story will be updated if there is a response.
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