Night host Jimmy Kimmel responded to the US President Donald Trumpcalling him a “horrible” host after he vowed to do a better job while hosting the Kennedy Center Honors over the weekend.
“If I can't beat Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don't think I should be president,” Trump, 79, told reporters in the Oval Office before the event Sunday night.
During his opening monologue on Monday, Kimmel, 58, said: “I don't think I've ever agreed to anything more than that. Do you think he even knows that I've never hosted the Kennedy Center Honors? Maybe he's confusing me with Queen Latifah?”
“As far as this whole 'who has more talent' thing goes, is it like he's challenging me to a competition? If so, I'm open to it. Let's do it. Let's have a talent competition,” Kimmel said in response to Trump's criticism.
“I'll come, tell some jokes. I'll draw something, I'll play the clarinet. He can play golf, spank a porn star and destroy the country.”
Kimmel joked that Trump's comments were “very hurtful.”
“I thought we were friends. I don't know what's going on. He's really obsessed. I'm starting to think he might fall in love with me.”
At the end of his monologue, Kimmel confirmed the renewal of his contract with Jimmy Kimmel Live! and acknowledged that Trump might not be too happy about it.
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“The last thing I want to do is upset you during this difficult time,” Kimmel told Trump. “But I have another piece of entertainment news: I have decided to extend my contract here at ABC for another year.”
Kimmel joked that the show will be on the air until May 2027, “or until the end of the world, whichever comes first.”
“I thought about it a lot and decided that I wanted to spend less time with my family,” Kimmel continued. “So, for our audience here and at home, I'm proud to be a part of your routine, whether it's in bed at night or while doing your morning toilet. Your consideration means a lot to me.”
Kimmel's previous multi-year contract with ABC was set to expire next May. The extension will keep it on the air until at least May 2027.
The evening host also shared the news. on Instagramwriting, “I'm excited to announce another year of no talent!”
Kimmel's future looked uncertain in September when ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! For comments made after the murder of a right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirkwho died after being shot at the Turning Point USA rally on September 10. After public protest ABC lifts suspensionand Kimmel back in the air with much higher ratings than before.
He continued his relentless jokes at the president's expense, prompting Trump to call out the channel “get your ass off the air” in a social media post last month. The post followed Kimmel's nearly 10-minute monologue about Trump and Jeffrey Epstein files.
In his monologue a day after the US House of Representatives and Senate voted back-to-back pass a bill in forcing the Justice Department to release files related to a deceased convicted sex offender, Kimmel said, “We are now one step closer to answering the question: What did the president know and how old were these women when he knew it?”
Hours after the show aired, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Jimmy Kimmel Live! needs to be taken off the air again.
“Why is ABC Fake News keeping Jimmy Kimmel on the air, a man with no talent and a VERY POOR TV RATING?” Trump wrote. “Why do TV syndicates put up with this?”
Trump also called Kimmel's comments “totally biased.”
— With files from Rachel Goodman of Global News and The Associated Press.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
