Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was “very disappointed” that Jimmy Kimmel failed to ask her about UFOs during an appearance on his late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! in November because she had practiced her answer on the topic beforehand, according to an internal Clinton campaign email made public by WikiLeaks.

“She was charming, got lots of laughs and worked in a lot of message,” Hillary for America deputy communications director Kristina Schake told Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta in a November 2015 email.

“He didn’t end up asking her about UFOs! She was very disappointed. She practiced UAPs (Unexplained Aerial Phenomena) for 5 minutes beforehand,” Schake added.

Kimmel apparently avoided asking Clinton about UFOs during the November appearance, in which the candidate predicted she would beat her husband and former President Bill Clinton if the two were running against each other in an election, among other discussion topics.

When asked by Podesta how the candidate’s appearance on Kimmel went, Schake described the taping as “fine but not a home run.”

“We had lots of issues with the development of it today,” Schake wrote. “Her interview was the best part of the show. She’s getting really good at this format – she’s relaxed, confident, works in message and has fun.”

Kimmel eventually broached the topic of UFOs when Clinton revisited the ABC program in March.

“I would like us to go into those [UFO] files and, hopefully, make as much of that public as possible. If there’s nothing there, let’s tell people there’s nothing there,” she told Kimmel then.

Clinton has appeared on Kimmel several times since she launched her presidential candidacy, mostly recently in August, when she dismissed renewed questions about her health and stamina by opening a pickle jar.

In May, Breitbart News reported that a draft memo requested by Clinton suggested the candidate use sympathetic talk show hosts and late-night appearances to “amplify and deliver messages that advance policymaking.”

 

Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum