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Jimmy Kimmel has once again found himself in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump, and the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host used Thursday night's monologue to deliver a sharp, steady response. Opening his show with what he called a "special hello to those watching from the White House," Kimmel made it clear he was aware of Trump's latest late-night Truth Social post calling for ABC to fire him.
Kimmel told viewers he learned about Trump's comments first thing that morning. "My wife woke me up and said, 'You're fired again.' I went downstairs and made bagels for the kids," he joked. He then read the president's post aloud, in which Trump blasted him as having "NO TALENT" and "VERY POOR RATINGS," adding, "Get the bum off the air!!!"
The comedian noted that Trump's message came minutes after the show aired on the East Coast, thanking him for watching. "You tried to get me fired in September. It didn't work," Kimmel said. "Mr. President, I admire your tenacity."
This latest clash follows a rocky stretch for the late-night host. In September, ABC temporarily pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr claimed a joke about MAGA outrage over Charlie Kirk's assassination violated broadcast standards. Viewer backlash was swift, with some Disney+ subscribers canceling in protest until the network reinstated him.
But Trump's attacks weren't limited to ratings. Kimmel also addressed the president's alarming posts targeting six members of Congress, all former military or intelligence officials, who publicly reminded enlisted service members that unlawful commands should not be followed. Trump labeled them "TRAITORS," accused them of "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR," and suggested their actions were "punishable by DEATH." Kimmel told viewers, "No big deal, just the president musing about executing congresspeople."
The host also referenced Trump's meeting earlier in the week with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, quipping that the president seemed to emerge from it "a little murder-y." The meeting resurfaced global attention on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which U.S. intelligence linked to the crown prince in 2021.
