Trump Demands Kimmel’s Firing After Late-Night Host’s Epstein Jabs, Sparking Viral Backlash and White House Frenzy
By Sarah Ellison The New York Times November 23, 2025
LOS ANGELES — President Trump renewed his long-running vendetta against Jimmy Kimmel late Wednesday, demanding on Truth Social that ABC “get the bum off the air” after the comedian’s monologue skewered the president’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files — a savage roast that left the studio audience in hysterics and sent MAGA influencers into a tailspin of outrage and conspiracy theories.
The post, timestamped 12:49 a.m. Eastern time — just 11 minutes after “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” ended on the East Coast — accused Mr. Kimmel of “totally biased coverage” and “NO TALENT,” echoing Mr. Trump’s similar pleas in September that led to a brief suspension of the show amid pressure from his handpicked Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr. “Why does ABC Fake News keep Jimmy Kimmel, a man with NO TALENT and VERY POOR TELEVISION RATINGS, on the air?” Mr. Trump wrote, tagging Disney CEO Bob Iger and Mr. Carr. “Get the bum off the air!!!”
Mr. Kimmel, 58, whose contract with ABC expires in May, addressed the attack head-on in Thursday’s opener, recounting the moment his wife alerted him to the post. “I woke up this morning, I’m in bed. My wife comes out of the bathroom — she’s got her phone. She goes, ‘Um, Trump tweeted you should be fired again.’ I was like, ‘Oh.’ And then I went downstairs and made bagels for the kids,” he said, drawing immediate laughter from the Los Angeles crowd. The host, who has weathered Mr. Trump’s barbs since the 2016 campaign, feigned nonchalance before escalating into a pointed takedown. “I have honestly lost count now of how many times the president has demanded I be pulled off the air,” he continued. “Talk about a snowflake, this guy. Every five weeks, he flips out and wants me fired.”
The monologue wove in fresh jabs at Mr. Trump’s second-term approval ratings, which a Quinnipiac poll pegged at a low of 39 percent this week, and his handling of the Epstein controversy. Mr. Kimmel replayed clips of the president’s testy exchange with a Bloomberg reporter last week, in which Mr. Trump snapped, “Quiet, piggy!” when pressed on the files’ release — a moment that has since drawn widespread condemnation for its condescension. “It’s also sweet that, even in the middle of the biggest sex scandal in the history of the American presidency, he takes precious time on the toilet to post about our show,” Mr. Kimmel quipped, alluding to the timing of Mr. Trump’s post. “Keeps saying we have bad ratings. And you should listen to him, because if anyone knows about bad ratings, it’s that guy.” He then cut to a montage of news clips charting Mr. Trump’s dipping polls, prompting sustained applause.
The segment peaked with Mr. Kimmel’s retort, delivered with a wry grin: “Mr. President, I admire your tenacity. If you’re watching tonight, which I presume you are, how about this: I’ll go when you go, OK? We’ll be a team. Let’s ride off into the sunset together like Butch Cassidy and the Suntan Kid. And until then, if I may borrow a phrase from you: Quiet, piggy.” The studio erupted in cheers, with audience members on their feet as confetti cannons fired — a spontaneous flourish from the production team that extended the ovation for nearly 30 seconds.
At Mar-a-Lago, where Mr. Trump was hosting a post-Thanksgiving donor brunch, the reaction was reportedly one of contained fury. Two people familiar with the gathering, speaking on condition of anonymity, described aides monitoring the broadcast on a side screen; when the “Quiet, piggy” line landed, the president paused mid-conversation, his face reddening, before muttering to an adviser, “That clown thinks he’s funny? Tell ABC they’re done.” By early afternoon, Mr. Trump had amplified the feud on Truth Social, reposting supporter memes of Mr. Kimmel as a “deep-state puppet” and renewing threats against the network’s broadcast license. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, during Friday’s briefing, dismissed the exchange as “Hollywood irrelevance,” but insiders say the president views Mr. Kimmel as a personal affront, watching episodes religiously despite public denials.
The dust-up highlights the precarious position of late-night comedy in Mr. Trump’s America. Mr. Kimmel’s show, which drew 4.2 million viewers Thursday — its highest in months — has seen a 25 percent uptick in young adult ratings since January, buoyed by anti-Trump segments. Yet the host’s future is uncertain; ABC executives, navigating pressure from the FCC and affiliates wary of alienating conservative audiences, have yet to extend his deal. “Jimmy’s leverage is his audience, but Trump’s leverage is the government,” one network source said. Mr. Kimmel, in a post-show interview with TMZ, shrugged: “If they want me gone, fine. But until then, I’ve got a microphone — and he’s got a button. Guess which one scares me more?”
For Mr. Trump, the episode underscores a second-term vulnerability: a thin skin that amplifies minor slights into national spectacles. Allies like Representative Jim Jordan have floated legislation to “reform” broadcast indecency rules, but even they caution against overreach. “He’s punching down at a comedian while polls tank — not smart,” one House Republican said privately.
As the clip hurtles toward 50 million views on YouTube, the feud endures as a microcosm of broader cultural divides. In an era where presidents tweet and hosts roast, Mr. Kimmel’s parting shot wasn’t just punchy — it was prescient. “I’ll go when you go,” he said. In Washington’s pressure cooker, that may come sooner than either imagines.
