During his acceptance speech for the Critics Choice award for Best Talk Show, liberal late-night host Jimmy Kimmel took the opportunity to direct his attention toward President Donald Trump, attributing his win to the president and humorously dubbing him "Donald Jennifer Trump.
".
"And most of all, I want to thank our president, Donald Jennifer Trump, without whom we would be going home empty-handed tonight," Kimmel remarked during the live broadcast on Sunday. "So thank you, Mr. President, for all the many ridiculous things you do each and every day."
According to One America News, Kimmel later spoke to reporters, describing his show's suspension as akin to a "near-death experience," drawing a parallel to "Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn watching their own funeral."
ABC had indefinitely suspended Kimmel's show in September 2025 following his controversial comments on the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. In his monologues, Kimmel criticized the conservative reaction to Kirk's death, accusing MAGA supporters of politicizing the tragedy and attempting to deflect blame.
He further mocked President Trump and Vice President JD Vance's responses, likening Trump's grief to that of a child while questioning the FBI's investigation.
"We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it," Kimmel stated. "In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving." The suspension was influenced by broadcast affiliates Nexstar and Sinclair, who refused to air the talk show, citing Kimmel's remarks as "offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse" and expressing a desire to "move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue."
Despite the controversy, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" was reinstated and returned to the air shortly thereafter. In his first monologue back, Kimmel clarified that his comments had been "misconstrued," emphasizing that it was never his intention to trivialize the murder of a young man. "I dont think theres anything funny about it," Kimmel continued. "I posted a message on Instagram the day he was killed, sending love to his family, and asking for compassion, and I meant it. I still do."
Since his return, Kimmel has persisted in his critiques of President Trump and intends to continue this approach as he resumes his show following the holiday break. "Its been a banner couple of weeks, and we cant wait to get back on the air tomorrow night to talk about them," Kimmel added.
As Kimmel navigates the complexities of political satire, the ongoing dialogue surrounding his show highlights the broader tensions in the national discourse.
Login