Late-Night Hosts Kimmel and Handler Tag-Team Trump in Cross-Network Roast, Fueling White House Fury and Viral Uproar

By Sarah Ellison The New York Times November 23, 2025

LOS ANGELES — In a cross-network spectacle that blurred the lines between late-night comedy and political theater, Jimmy Kimmel and Chelsea Handler unleashed a synchronized roast of President Trump on Thursday, mocking his Epstein files reversal and “Quiet, piggy!” outburst at a reporter in a segment that shattered viewership records, ignited meltdown rumors within his inner circle and prompted accusations of a Democratic “entertainment alliance” from the White House.

The dual broadcast — Mr. Kimmel’s monologue on ABC followed immediately by Ms. Handler’s guest-host spot on MSNBC’s “The Chelsea Handler Show” — was no coincidence. The hosts, who have traded barbs with Mr. Trump since his 2016 campaign, coordinated via text to amplify their attacks, with Mr. Kimmel teasing the “surprise tag-team” on air. “Tonight, we’re not just roasting Trump — we’re serving him up with a side of reality,” Mr. Kimmel said, drawing cheers from his Los Angeles studio as he replayed the president’s viral snap at Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey last week. “Quiet, piggy? That’s not leadership; that’s what you say to a toddler who won’t eat their peas. And Chelsea’s got the dessert — a full Epstein sundae.”

The 11-minute ABC opener, viewed by 5.4 million — a 15 percent jump from last week — zeroed in on Mr. Trump’s begrudging signing of the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act after months of resistance. “He opposed it like it was Hillary’s emails, then flipped faster than a McDonald’s spatula when Congress called his bluff,” Mr. Kimmel quipped, flashing a montage of the president’s flip-flops intercut with Ghislaine Maxwell’s sentencing clips. The audience erupted, many on their feet chanting “Epstein! Epstein!” as confetti rained down prematurely. Mr. Kimmel closed with a direct challenge: “Donald, if the files are so innocent, why not join Chelsea and me for a live read-aloud? We’ll bring the popcorn; you bring the alibis.”

Moments later, at 11:35 p.m. Eastern, Ms. Handler picked up the baton on MSNBC, her 10-minute riff drawing 2.8 million viewers — a series high. “Jimmy set the table; I’m serving the main course: Trump’s greatest hits of hypocrisy,” she said, her signature deadpan laced with sarcasm. Ms. Handler mocked the president’s Saudi state dinner as “a Epstein reunion without the island,” then pivoted to his “piggy” insult: “Calling a woman ‘piggy’? That’s not alpha; that’s what happens when your spray tan runs into your brain. And Karoline Leavitt defending it? Girl, blink twice if you need an exit strategy.” Her studio crowd — a mix of Hollywood liberals and young activists — howled, spilling into applause that forced a commercial break. Ms. Handler ended with a mock invitation: “Donald, crash my show. We’ll do truth or dare — truth about Epstein, dare you to release your taxes.”

The synchronized assault, which Mr. Kimmel and Ms. Handler previewed on X earlier that day with a joint selfie captioned “Tag-team Tuesday? Nah, Roast Thursday,” shattered alliances in unexpected ways. Fox News, usually a Trump megaphone, saw its prime-time lineup dip 6 percent as viewers tuned into the dueling broadcasts, per Nielsen data. Late-night peers piled on: Stephen Colbert staged a “roast relay” skit on CBS, passing a flaming Trump bobblehead from Kimmel to Handler, while Seth Meyers quipped on NBC: “If this is the entertainment wing of the resistance, sign me up — but can we get HBO rights?”

The White House reaction was swift and scorching. At Mar-a-Lago, where Mr. Trump was hosting a post-Thanksgiving donor retreat, aides described a scene of “total meltdown.” Four people familiar with the evening, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the president, alerted by a barrage of notifications, demanded both monologues be streamed on adjacent screens. As Ms. Handler’s “spray tan” line landed, Mr. Trump reportedly hurled a remote, face reddening, and bellowed: “These two has-beens — Kimmel and that loudmouth Handler — they’re a disgrace! Call Brendan; ABC and MSNBC are done!” Press secretary Karoline Leavitt, monitoring from D.C., texted allies accusing the hosts of “coordinated smears,” while communications director Steven Cheung drafted a multi-post rebuttal.

By 12:47 a.m., Mr. Trump unleashed a 500-word Truth Social tirade: “Low-rated Kimmel & washed-up Chelsea Handler, two NO TALENT losers, team up for a DISGRACEFUL attack on me over Epstein HOAX! Late-night propaganda funded by Soros & Dems. Get them OFF AIR NOW — ABC, MSNBC, all of them! #FakeNews #MAGA.” The post, viewed 14 million times by Saturday noon, drew cheers from MAGA influencers but rebukes from moderates; even Fox’s Kayleigh McEnany called it “punching down while polls tank.” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, fielded a 25-minute call from the president at 1:20 a.m., assuring “ongoing reviews” of broadcast licenses but urging restraint amid midterm anxieties.

The roast’s viral reach — #RoastTrumpAlliance hit 9.2 million posts on X, with TikTok duets of the montages racking up 25 million views — has sparked a political drama rippling across America. Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, praised it on MSNBC as “holding power accountable through humor,” while Republicans fractured: Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted support for the Epstein transparency but slammed the hosts as “Hollywood hypocrites.” A Quinnipiac poll released Friday showed Mr. Trump’s approval at 38 percent — a second-term low — with independents citing “erratic leadership” as a top concern, amplified by the shutdown and Epstein fallout.

For Mr. Kimmel and Ms. Handler, both outspoken Trump critics since 2016 — Ms. Handler as a guest host on his show in 2022 roasting Jan. 6 hearings — the tag-team cements their roles as resistance icons. “We’re not a cabal; we’re comedians who care,” Ms. Handler told TMZ post-broadcast. Mr. Kimmel, in a post-credits clip, shrugged: “If jokes about hypocrisy spark alliances, maybe that’s the real genius move.”

ABC and MSNBC executives, navigating FCC scrutiny from Trump ally Brendan Carr, issued no statements, but sources say they’re bracing for affiliate pushback akin to Mr. Kimmel’s September suspension. As clips flood feeds and Mar-a-Lago simmers, the roast transcends TV: a reminder that in Trump’s America, laughter isn’t just cathartic — it’s combustible. With Epstein files due next week, this firestorm may be the spark that lights a larger blaze.