LATE-NIGHT FIRESTORM: Trump Erupts After Kimmel & Noah Roast His Plunging Ratings on Live TV — Insiders Say He Was “Furious Backstage” as Clip Explodes
Los Angeles — November 11, 2025 — A seemingly routine late-night television segment turned into a full-blown political meltdown Monday night when Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Daily Show aired a joint special featuring hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Trevor Noah delivering a blistering, data-driven roast of President Donald Trump’s cratering approval ratings — only for Trump to erupt live on air via a surprise video feed, sparking chaos that has dominated headlines and social media ever since.
The explosive moment unfolded during the “Late Night Resistance: United Against the Ratings King” crossover, broadcast simultaneously on ABC and Comedy Central from Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre. Kimmel opened with a graph showing Trump’s approval at 37% — a 6-point drop in two weeks, per the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll — and quipped: “Congratulations, Mr. President. You’re now polling lower than bedbugs, and even they have a comeback story.”
Noah, guest-hosting the special, escalated: “Trump keeps bragging about ‘record ratings,’ but the only record he’s breaking is for fastest collapse in modern presidential history. At this rate, his second term will be shorter than his attention span during a national security briefing.” The audience roared as a chyron flashed: “Trump Approval: 37% — Lower Than His Golf Handicap (Allegedly).”
Then came the twist no one saw coming.
Mid-segment, the broadcast cut to a live feed from the White House residence — Trump, in a red tie and bathrobe, had apparently hijacked the satellite uplink through a rogue producer contact. “This is FAKE NEWS!” he bellowed, pointing at the camera. “My ratings are the highest ever — higher than Lincoln, higher than Reagan! Kimmel’s a loser, Noah’s a nobody — I made them famous!” His face flushed, he waved a crumpled printout: “Look at this — Truth Social, 92 million impressions! That’s real power!”
The studio fell silent. Kimmel, recovering first, deadpanned: “Sir, with all due respect, you’re live on national television in a bathrobe. This isn’t a Zoom call with Putin.” Noah added: “Also, 92 million impressions? That’s just Elon retweeting your typos.” The crowd exploded in laughter as Trump’s feed glitched — his final words, “You’re fired!” — cut off by a frozen screen of his open-mouthed glare.
The clip detonated online. Within an hour, #TrumpBathrobeRoast trended globally, amassing 48 million views across X, TikTok, and YouTube. Memes flooded feeds: Trump’s face superimposed on The Shining’s “Here’s Johnny!” door scene, captioned “Here’s Ratings!” Another viral edit synced his outburst to Curb Your Enthusiasm’s theme. By midnight, the hashtag surpassed #Election2024 in U.S. trends.
Behind the scenes, the chaos was even more intense. Multiple sources inside the production confirm Trump did not have pre-approved access. A junior engineer, allegedly paid $50,000 via a Trump-aligned super PAC, patched the feed from a Mar-a-Lago server. “Security went berserk,” one stagehand told The Hollywood Reporter. “Secret Service stormed the control room thinking it was a breach. Kimmel just kept going — ice in his veins.”
Insiders at the White House paint a picture of pandemonium. Trump, watching from the Treaty Room, reportedly shattered a crystal tumbler when Noah mocked his golf handicap. “He was apoplectic,” a senior aide said on background. “Screaming ‘Turn it off!’ then ‘No, patch me in!’ Aides were diving for remotes. Melania walked in, saw the bathrobe, and just… left.” By 1:15 a.m., Trump posted a 17-part Truth Social thread: “KIMMEL & NOAH = RATINGS POISON. ABC LICENSE REVOKED TOMORROW. TREVOR NOT EVEN AMERICAN. SAD!” One post included a doctored image of Kimmel as a crying clown.
The incident marks the latest escalation in Trump’s war on late-night comedy. Since his January 2025 inauguration, Kimmel has averaged 9.1 million viewers — his highest ever — largely by targeting Trump’s gaffes, from the “magnets drown” presser to threatening to arrest NYC’s mayor-elect. Noah, now a global stand-up star, returned for the special after Trump called him “overrated” in a September rally. “He keeps feeding us material,” Noah told Variety post-show. “It’s like he’s our head writer — unpaid, uncredited, and unhinged.”
FCC Chair Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, announced an “immediate review” of ABC’s broadcast license Tuesday morning, citing “unauthorized interference with presidential communications.” Legal experts call it baseless. “The president can’t revoke a license because he got roasted,” said FCC veteran Gigi Sohn. “This is Nixon-level pettiness.”
Democrats seized the moment. Sen. Elizabeth Warren tweeted the clip with: “When your policies fail, attack the comedians. Classic strongman move.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posted a TikTok lip-syncing Trump’s “You’re fired!” over unemployment stats. Even GOP strategists admitted damage. “He walked into a trap,” one told Politico. “Now every late-night show has a month of material.”
By Tuesday afternoon, the clip hit 80 million views. Stephen Colbert opened The Late Show with: “Last night, Trump proved he can crash a party — and a satellite.” Seth Meyers quipped: “He says he wants to drain the swamp. Turns out the swamp has better Wi-Fi.”
Kimmel, unfazed, closed Monday’s show with a message: “Mr. President, if you’re watching — and we know you are — keep tuning in. Your meltdowns are our highest-rated segments. No notes.”
As the internet feasts on the fallout — from AI deepfakes of Trump in a Kimmel monologue to Noah stand-up sets going viral — one thing is clear: In the battle of comedy vs. commander-in-chief, laughter is winning. And Trump? He just guaranteed late-night TV its biggest season yet.
The full unedited feed, including 47 seconds of dead air as engineers scrambled, is still circulating. Watch it while you can — because in Trumpworld, the joke’s always on him, whether he likes it or not.
