WATCH: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says it’s an opportunity to promote his city on the world stage. But not all Torontonians support the mayor’s time in the Hollywood spotlight. Cindy Pom reports.
TORONTO – Toronto Mayor Rob Ford arrived in Los Angeles Saturday and received the Hollywood treatment from celebrity chauffeur Jimmy Kimmel.
Kimmel, dressed as a limo driver, greeted Ford at the Los Angeles International Airport shortly before 8 p.m. local time on Saturday. Ford’s press secretary Amin Massoudi tweeted their arrival.
Ford will make an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live Monday, the mayor’s press secretary, Amin Massoudi, told Global News in a phone interview from California.
“Jimmy was one of the first to reach out to Ford personally, and it’s one of the reasons (the mayor) is here,” said Massoudi.
Along with Massoudi the mayor travelled to Los Angeles with an entourage comprised of siblings and staffers: brothers Randy Ford, Doug Ford and staffers Dan Jacobs and Jerry Agyemang.
When asked if the mayor was still planning on attending the red carpet at the Oscars, Massoudi said he could only confirm “the mayor is doing something Oscar-related.”
Ford’s brother, Coun. Doug Ford told Global News on Sunday that the mayor won’t be showing up for the actual Academy Awards but hopes to attend Oscar parties, including Kimmel’s.
Earlier Saturday the mayor told Toronto Sun’s Joe Warmington he is on his way to attend the Oscars before appearing Monday on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
“I am going to the Oscars, it’s going to be fun,” Ford told the Sun prior to boarding a flight to Los Angeles.
Ford made the unannounced visit to Los Angeles to promote Toronto’s film industry.
“The mayor has always believed the movie industry is a big economic driver for Toronto and has always embraced it,” said Massoudi. “One of the big objectives is to promote Toronto during the trip.”
WATCH: Jimmy Kimmel pokes fun at Rob Ford video
The mayor has been a favourite target of late night TV comics, including Kimmel, since media reports surfaced of the mayor smoking crack cocaine and subsequent videos of the mayor appearing to be intoxicated.
Ford is scheduled to appear on The Jimmy Kimmel Live show Monday along with Muppets character The Great Gonzo and musical guest Fitz & The Tantrums.
Kimmel is known for viral hoax videos which include a woman who set herself on fire while twerking, and an image of a wolf wandering the halls in a Sochi hotel during the Olympics.
Earlier in the week Ford refuted his celebrity status in a video posted to YouTube.
“I am not an international celebrity,” said Ford, in a video posted Wednesday. “I’m an average, hard-working guy that goes to work every day, comes home to their family, takes my kids out, supports my wife and family and does whatever I can.”
The trip came as a surprise to many of Toronto’s media and has generated a lot of attention on social media.
*With files from The Canadian Press
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