Jimmy Kimmel's Mean Tweets Are Back With A Twist

As far as late night hosts go, Jimmy Kimmel might just be my favorite, and not just because he encourages parents to hilariously steal their children's Halloween candy every year. Mostly, I'm Team Kimmel because he forces celebrities to read the mean tweets that total strangers have posted about them, which is important for two reasons: It's funny and a good way to highlight the fact that there are actually people in the world who will say incredibly cruel things to people they've never met... provided they can hide behind a computer. And although I thought that particular part of his show couldn't possibly get any better, it just did. On Monday, Kimmel kicked off a week of live studio Mean Tweets sessions, and let me assure you: It's amazing.

In fact, I'm thinking these live Mean Tweet segments are actually going to be a lot better than the pre-recorded ones — you know, if that's possible. Monday night's installment featured Benedict Cumberbatch, Kristen Bell, and Jeff Bridges all coming on stage to read the tweets Kimmel chose for them in front of an audience, and the live aspect of the show actually made it that much funnier.

But before I go into that, you need to watch this for yourself.

I don't know if it's because Kimmel chose three people with great comedic timing or because of the audience's presence, but this is my favorite Mean Tweets segment that I've seen in a long time. Between the cheering, the laughing, and the general excitement in the room, it was obvious that having people watching gave all three actors plenty of extra energy — something you definitely need when you're coming face to face with heavy-handed criticism. Can we talk about the victorious grin on Kristen Bell's face when it was her turn? It was almost like she was thrilled to be told she has a vagina that is like "an Alcatraz for penis," which, now that I think about it, could actually be a compliment.

Just seeing this first live attempt has me really excited to see how this goes down for the rest of the week. I may even be convinced to stay up late enough to actually watch it happen live, instead of catching the YouTube version the next morning because I fell asleep at 9 like the grandmother that I am.

I'd say that I wish we lived in a world where Mean Tweets aren't even necessary because people are respectful toward each other on the internet, but that would be a lie. Keep trolling, internet trolls. I cannot live without these segments.

Image: Screengrab/Youtube