Jimmy Kimmel defeats Trump in popular vote and mocks Trump
Jimmy Kimmel joked on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” that he is now “more popular” than US President Donald Trump, citing the latest YouGov poll.
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After President Donald Trump again called for Jimmy Kimmel to be taken off the airwaves, the late-night show host accused Trump of trying to get him fired earlier this year.
The president expressed confusion over Kimmel’s employment status in a Nov. 19 post on Truth Social, writing, “Why does ABC Fake News continue to air Jimmy Kimmel, who has no talent and has very low TV ratings? Why would a TV syndicate put up with that? And it’s completely biased reporting. Get him off the air!!!”
In his opening monologue Thursday, Kimmel spoke about the September hiatus of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Following backlash from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr and station owners Sinclair and Nexstar over the host’s comments about the Charlie Kirk shooting.
“You’ve done this before. You tried to fire me in September and it didn’t work,” Kimmel said on his Nov. 20 show, adding, “Mr. President, I admire your tenacity.”
President Trump reacts to “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
In response to USA TODAY’s request for comment, White House press secretary Abigail Jackson responded with applause, writing, “Reacting to Kimmel’s show means wasting your time watching it, and like many Americans who choose not to watch it, I have better things to do. It’s like watching paint dry.”
The Emmy Award-winning comedian also slammed President Trump’s comments in a Nov. 20 Truth social post in which he slammed six Democratic members of Congress, calling them “seditious and deserving of the death penalty!” The post appears to be a reference to six members of Congress who appeared in a video urging U.S. military personnel to refuse to carry out orders they believe are illegal, calling it a right and a duty.
“Sedition is punishable by death, which is one of the worst punishments in the world. Even worse than, say, losing your TV show. It’s no big deal. It’s just the president of the United States thinking about Congressional personnel being executed,” Kimmel quipped.
President Trump clarified in a Nov. 21 interview on Fox News’ “The Brian Kilmeade Show” that he was not actually threatening to execute any Democratic congressman.
“I’m not threatening death,” he said. “But I think they’re in serious trouble. In the old days, that would have been death.”
Kimmel’s sudden suspension in September raised concerns about free speech in the country, with First Amendment advocates accusing the FCC of revoking the broadcast licenses of stations critical of President Trump.
Earlier this month, Kerr echoed Trump’s call for NBC to fire “Late Night” host Seth Meyers. The FCC chairman said in a post on Truth Social that President Trump said that Meyers “suffers from an incurable disease called Trump Derangement Syndrome” and that “aside from everything else, Mr. Meyers has no talent whatsoever. NBC should fire him immediately!”
