Jimmy Kimmel found himself caught in the crossfire of Fergie's National Anthem fallout when he was captured smirking on camera during the NBA All-Star game, and now the late night host has offered up an explanation for his reaction.

"The reason I was smiling is because I love the National Anthem so much," he joked on Jimmy Kimmel Live. "That's the face I make when I really love a song."

Kimmel went on to poke fun at Fergie's "Star-Spangled Banner" performance, a largely derided interpretation that quickly drew ridicule online. "In hindsight, trying to work in the words, 'My humps, my humps, my lovely lady lumps' may have been a mistake," he riffed, referencing Fergie's 2005 Black Eyed Peas single, "My Humps."

The response to Fergie's rendition was so bad that the “M.I.L.F. $” singer felt the need to apologize, telling TMZ, "I'm a risk taker artistically, but clearly this rendition didn't strike the intended tone. I love this country and honestly tried my best."

After reading her statement, Kimmel also had a bit of advice: "Here's the thing about taking risks, when it comes to the National Anthem: don't," he said. "Just regular is fine."

Watch a clip from Kimmel’s monologue in the video above.

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