Kimmel Retaliates Against Trump’s Late-Night Tirade with Sharp Critique and Personal Jab
Jimmy Kimmel responded to former President Donald Trump’s recent call for his firing with a pointed monologue, turning the tables on Trump by highlighting his own struggles with public approval and revisiting a controversial insult.
On Thursday night, November 21, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel directly addressed a social media post from Donald Trump demanding his removal from ABC. Trump, via his Truth Social platform, criticized Kimmel’s “poor ratings” and called for “ABC Fake News” to “Get the bum off the air!!!”
“I’m the bum?” Kimmel quipped to his audience, before noting the timing of the post. “He posted this at 12:49 am… 11 minutes after the show ended on the East Coast. Which is nice… he watches us live. Hi, Mr. President! Thanks for watching us on TV instead of on YouTube. We appreciate that. It’s viewers like you who keep us on the air, ironically.”
Kimmel emphasized the frequency of Trump’s attempts to get his show canceled, stating he had “lost count.” He characterized the former President as overly sensitive, suggesting, “If you got this many threats from a neighbor, you’d have no problem getting a restraining order. The judge would be like, ‘Yeah, sounds like the guy’s nuts.’ Boom.”
The comedian also referenced a temporary suspension he faced earlier this year, noting that Trump had previously attempted to orchestrate his firing in September. He then pivoted to Trump’s own ratings, stating, “He keeps saying we have bad ratings, and you should listen to him, because if anyone knows about bad ratings, it’s that guy.” Kimmel then presented a montage of news clips detailing Trump’s declining approval numbers.
In a moment of playful defiance, Kimmel proposed a deal to Trump: “How about this… I’ll go when you go, okay? We’ll be a team. Let’s ride off into the sunset together like Butch Cassidy and the Suntan Kid.”
However, Kimmel reserved his most cutting remark for last, directly addressing Trump with a phrase borrowed from the former President himself. Referencing an incident from November 14, where Trump told Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey, “Quiet, quiet, piggy,” after she attempted a follow-up question regarding the Epstein files, Kimmel retorted, “Until then, if I may borrow a phrase from you: quiet, piggy!”
The exchange underscores the ongoing and often contentious relationship between the late-night host and the former President, with Kimmel consistently using his platform to critique Trump’s actions and rhetoric.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights at 11:35/10:35c on ABC.
