Jimmy Kimmel Torches Trump’s ‘Hurricane Epstein Panic’ and Musk’s Saudi Thaw in Fiery Monologue, Sparking White House Fury

By Sarah Ellison The New York Times November 24, 2025

LOS ANGELES — Jimmy Kimmel, the ABC late-night host whose monologues have become a ritualistic counterpunch to President Trump’s administration, unleashed a blistering 12-minute opener Wednesday that lampooned the president’s “Hurricane Epstein panic” over the impending release of Jeffrey Epstein’s files and Elon Musk’s awkward reconciliation with Mr. Trump at a White House dinner with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — a savage roast that left the studio audience in stitches and prompted a midnight eruption from Mr. Trump demanding Kimmel’s ouster.

The segment, which drew 5.2 million viewers — the show’s strongest Wednesday rating since the election — opened with Mr. Kimmel at a mock meteorologist’s desk, complete with a green-screen map tracking “Hurricane Epstein” barreling toward Mar-a-Lago. “We are carefully following the path of Hurricane Epstein right now,” he said, channeling a weather report with mock gravity. “It is a Category 5. It’s expected to make landfall sometime very soon. 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?” The Los Angeles crowd detonated, a wave of laughter and applause that built to a standing ovation as Mr. Kimmel riffed on Senator Howard Baker’s Watergate query, adapting it for the Epstein era.

Mr. Kimmel didn’t spare Mr. Trump’s reversal on the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act, which the president signed last week after months of resistance, only after a House discharge petition forced a near-unanimous vote. “After 10 months of fighting tooth and nail, doing everything he could to keep those files secret, he’s now asking for a full release,” Mr. Kimmel said, flashing a montage of Mr. Trump’s flip-flops intercut with Ghislaine Maxwell’s 2022 sentencing. “Trump hasn’t been this nervous about signing something since Don Jr.’s birth certificate.” The audience howled, many clutching their sides as confetti cannons fired prematurely, extending the chaos into the aisles.

The host then pivoted to Mr. Musk’s attendance at Tuesday’s White House state dinner for the Saudi crown prince — the Tesla CEO’s first public appearance with Mr. Trump since their June feud over tax cuts and government efficiency, where Mr. Musk accused the president of “crony capitalism” on X. Hours later, at Wednesday’s U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum, Mr. Trump teased Mr. Musk onstage: “I’m with you, Elon — although I do let him buy other-than-electric cars, but these are minor details.” Mr. Musk, beaming beside Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, later posted on X: “I would like to thank President Trump for all he has done for America and the world.”

Kimmel seized the thaw as fresh fodder. “Elon Musk, after months of calling Trump a ‘tantrum-throwing toddler,’ shows up at the Saudi love-fest like nothing happened,” he quipped, replaying clips of Mr. Musk’s June X tirade against the president’s spending bill, juxtaposed with photos from the dinner where Mr. Musk, Mr. Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman posed arm-in-arm. “It’s the ultimate meltdown makeup: Elon gets his $1 trillion Saudi AI deal, Trump gets a photo-op with MBS — the guy he once blamed for Khashoggi but now calls his ‘great friend.’ And we get… more questions about Epstein’s flight logs?” The crowd lost it again, chanting “Musk! MBS! Meltdown!” as Mr. Kimmel added: “Elon’s Saudi pivot is faster than his Cybertruck recall — from feud to feast in five months. What’s next, a Tesla factory in Riyadh named ‘The Apprentice Edition’?”

The monologue, a masterclass in Kimmel’s blend of sarcasm and surgical precision, closed with a direct taunt: “Mr. President, if Hurricane Epstein has you this rattled, maybe it’s time to board up the truth instead of the windows.” The ovation lasted 45 seconds, forcing an ad break as the house band riffed a discordant “Eye of the Tiger.”

At Mar-a-Lago, where Mr. Trump was winding down a donor retreat, the reaction was volcanic. Three people familiar with the evening, speaking on condition of anonymity, described aides scrambling as the president, alerted by notifications, demanded the segment on a conference room screen. As the “Hurricane Epstein” map appeared, Mr. Trump reportedly hurled a remote, bellowing: “Kimmel’s a disgrace — and Musk? He’s playing me! Call Elon — tell him the deal’s off!” Press secretary Karoline Leavitt, monitoring from D.C., texted allies accusing the host of “deep-state weather porn,” while communications director Steven Cheung drafted a rebuttal.

By 12:49 a.m., Mr. Trump fired back on Truth Social: “Why does ABC Fake News keep Jimmy Kimmel, a man with NO TALENT and VERY POOR TELEVISION RATINGS, on the air? Why do the TV Syndicates put up with it? Also, totally biased coverage. Get the bum off the air!!!” The post, viewed 13 million times by Sunday noon, tagged Disney’s Bob Iger and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, renewing threats against ABC’s license. Mr. Musk, ever the provocateur, reposted a meme of the “Hurricane Epstein” map with a single emoji: a palm tree emoji, signaling nonchalance amid the Saudi thaw.

MAGA world spun into frenzy. On X, #HurricaneEpstein trended with 7.8 million posts, spawning TikTok duets of Kimmel’s map over clips of Mr. Trump’s “Quiet, piggy!” snap at a reporter. Influencers like Jack Posobiec decried it as “Kimmel’s Epstein psyop,” while Steve Bannon thundered on his podcast: “This is war on transparency — Trump signed the bill; now Dems leak to bury him!” Yet fractures showed: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who co-sponsored the transparency act, tweeted: “Kimmel’s right about one thing — release it all, no redactions. Victims first.”

The viral wave — clips racking up 45 million views — has eroded Mr. Trump’s footing. A Quinnipiac poll released Sunday shows his approval at 38 percent, with independents citing the Epstein saga as a top concern amid shutdown fatigue. Democrats pounced: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries quipped on MSNBC: “Kimmel’s Category 5 just made landfall on Mar-a-Lago — and Trump’s still boarding up the wrong windows.”

For Mr. Kimmel, whose contract expires in May, the monologue bolsters his ratings surge — up 25 percent year-over-year — while testing ABC’s spine against FCC scrutiny from Mr. Carr. In a post-credits clip, he shrugged: “If jokes about hypocrisy are a hurricane, I’ll take the Category 5 every night. Mr. President, grab your poncho — the truth’s pouring.”

As the Epstein files loom next week — partial releases set for Dec. 1 — Kimmel’s roast transcends TV: a reminder that in Trump’s America, laughter isn’t just cathartic; it’s a Category 5 force of nature.