Did you hear the one about Fort Lauderdale and the dominatrix queen?
The joke, delivered by late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, was actually about the Republican-led Congress for failing to pick a House speaker after three tries.
But Kimmel suggested House Republicans might consider Mistress Krave, the dominatrix who showed up at Fort Lauderdale City Hall with two “slave” associates to demand the city build a community dungeon for the S&M population.
ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” aired a clip from Fort Lauderdale’s Dec. 20 commission meeting Tuesday night.
The mask-wearing dominatrix, flanked by two women in tight leather bondage costumes, had a terse message for the commission: “In closing, do not let this glamorous look distract you from doing your duty to take my demand. I look forward to spanking each and every single one of you at the new esteemed dungeon. You are dismissed.”
As the three women made their exit, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis had this response: “OK. Thank you. And happy holidays to you.”
Commissioner Steve Glassman quipped: “City manager, are there any districts that have a dungeon?”
Then, for the TV audience, it was back to Kimmel for the last laugh: “Hey, if you’re looking for a speaker of the House, she just walked out with her friends.”
The dominatrix visit was a publicity stunt for a nightclub in Miami, city officials later learned.
On Wednesday, the mayor laughed about winding up on national television.
“He was comparing local government to the nightmare at the national level,” Trantalis said of Kimmel. “I took that as a compliment. I think our community expects calm, stable government. And we deliver that, even in front of a dominatrix.”
Glassman, who’s known for delivering his own punchlines on the dais and off, thinks this might be the first time Fort Lauderdale has gotten a mention on one of the late-night shows.
“The story exploded worldwide two weeks ago,” he said. “It made the newspapers, it ran online everywhere. So I was not surprised it got picked up by Jimmy Kimmel. If “Saturday Night Live” wasn’t on hiatus, you can bet your bottom dollar it would have made “Saturday Night Live.” But it’s not too late. It might still.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at or on Twitter @Susannah_Bryan
