Jimmy Kimmel opened his first show of the year by taking aim at Donald Trump, addressing the president’s recent remarks and actions that drew widespread media attention. The late-night host responded to Trump’s comments and mocked his involvement in the low-rated Kennedy Center Honors broadcast.
Jimmy Kimmel mocks Donald Trump in new monologue
Jimmy Kimmel returned to his show on January 5 and addressed recent events involving Donald Trump.
He began by referencing Trump’s remarks comparing their talents before the Kennedy Center Honors. Trump had said, “If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, I don’t think I should be president.” Kimmel responded by noting the poor ratings of the Dec. 23 Kennedy Center Honors telecast hosted by Trump, which averaged about 3 million viewers, an all-time low according to Variety. Kimmel remarked, “After boasting about what a great host he is… Trump hosted the lowest-rated Kennedy Center Honors telecast of all time… Back to Mar-a-Lago you go.”
Kimmel also commented on the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He linked the event to the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents, saying, “If you were wondering how bad these Epstein files are for Trump, turns out, they’re ‘invade Venezuela’ bad.” He compared the situation to the plot of the movie Wag the Dog, where a sex scandal prompts a fabricated war to shift public attention.
Continuing his monologue, Kimmel said, “Trump decided Maduro had to go, and yes, he’s a criminal… but Maduro is no saint either.” Trump had alleged Maduro was “the kingpin of a vast criminal network responsible for trafficking colossal amounts of deadly illicit drugs into the United States.” Maduro faces U.S. federal charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and illegal weapons offenses, and has pleaded not guilty.
Other late-night hosts addressed the same topics. Stephen Colbert said, “Those Epstein files must be crazy.” Jimmy Fallon joked, “Trump’s New Year’s resolution was to distract everyone from the Epstein files.” Seth Meyers questioned Trump’s anti-war stance, playing past clips and saying, “You really thought Donald Trump… would suddenly discover the concept of restraint?”
Originally reported by Vritti Johar on Mandatory.com.
