Jimmy Kimmel Revives Trump-O’Donnell Feud in Monologue, Drawing Presidential Ire and Viral Backlash

By Sarah Ellison The New York Times November 25, 2025

LOS ANGELES — Jimmy Kimmel, the ABC late-night host who has made a cottage industry of needling President Trump, reignited the president’s long-simmering grudge against Rosie O’Donnell on Tuesday’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” weaving a biting monologue around their decades-old feud that drew roars from the studio audience and prompted a midnight Truth Social tirade from Mr. Trump demanding the comedian’s immediate firing.

The segment, which opened with a montage of Mr. Trump’s recent White House exchange with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin — where the president quipped that Ms. O’Donnell’s relocation to Ireland would “lower your happiness level” — quickly escalated into a full-throated roast. Mr. Kimmel, leaning into the camera with his signature deadpan, quipped: “This feud with Rosie’s been going longer than me and Matt Damon now.” The line, a nod to his own enduring fake rivalry with the actor, elicited immediate laughter from the Los Angeles crowd, many of whom rose in a standing ovation as confetti cannons fired and the house band struck up a mock Irish jig.

Mr. Trump and Ms. O’Donnell’s animosity dates to 2006, when the comedian, then a co-host on “The View,” called him a “snake-oil salesman” amid his Miss USA pageant controversies. Mr. Trump retaliated with threats of lawsuits and personal attacks, dubbing her a “real loser” and “slob” in a feud that has spanned nearly two decades, including social media salvos and Ms. O’Donnell’s 2021 prayer for his imprisonment. Her recent move to Ireland, announced in March 2025 as a protest against Mr. Trump’s policies, provided fresh fodder. During the White House meeting with Mr. Martin, reporter Brian Glenn — boyfriend of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene — prompted Mr. Trump with: “Ireland is known for very happy, fun-loving people… Why in the world would you let Rosie O’Donnell move to Ireland?” Mr. Trump, grinning, replied: “That’s true. You’re better off not knowing.”

Mr. Kimmel seized the moment to eviscerate the exchange. “Trump’s still obsessed with Rosie O’Donnell, like a bad ex who won’t stop texting,” he said, flashing side-by-side clips of Mr. Trump’s 2016 rally rants against her and his recent Oval Office banter. “This feud has been going on longer than ‘The View’ itself. Rosie called him a snake-oil salesman in 2006; he called her a slob. She prayed for his arrest in 2021; now he’s warning Ireland about her like she’s a leprechaun with a grudge. And here we are in 2025, and he’s still at it. Donald, move on — or at least get a new hobby besides hating on women who won’t date you.”

The studio erupted, a chorus of cheers and whistles spilling into the aisles as the audience chanted “Ro-sie! Ro-sie!” for nearly 40 seconds. Mr. Kimmel pressed on, tying the spat to broader critiques: “Rosie moved to Ireland because she said it’s ‘safe for equal rights.’ Trump’s response? ‘You’re better off not knowing.’ That’s not diplomacy; that’s delusion. And let’s be honest, if Rosie’s lowering happiness levels, what does that say about the guy who turned the White House into a reality show reboot?”

By 1:02 a.m., Mr. Trump had fired back on Truth Social in a 350-word screed: “Crooked Jimmy Kimmel, ratings in the toilet, drags up ancient Rosie O’Donnell smears because he can’t handle TRUTH! Rosie’s a total LOSER who fled to Ireland — good riddance! Kimmel’s even worse. ABC, get the bum off air NOW! #FakeNews #MAGA.” The post, viewed 9.2 million times by midday Wednesday, tagged Disney CEO Bob Iger and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, renewing threats against the network’s license — a tactic Mr. Trump employed in September to pressure affiliates into suspending Mr. Kimmel for a week over comments on a conservative activist’s death.

Ms. O’Donnell, 63, who announced her Irish relocation in March 2025 as a stand against Mr. Trump’s policies, responded with characteristic bluntness on TikTok: “Jimmy nailed it — this obsession is pathetic. Donald, I’m thriving in Ireland, far from your chaos. Focus on governing, not grudges.” Her video, a casual clip from a Dublin pub, has garnered 4.5 million views, trending under #RosieRevenge.

The monologue, viewed by 4.8 million — a Tuesday high — has exploded online, with #TrumpVsRosie surpassing 7.8 million posts on X and TikTok duets lip-syncing Mr. Kimmel’s “snake-oil salesman” line over Mr. Trump’s 2006 “View” clips, amassing 32 million views. Late-night peers piled on: Stephen Colbert staged a mock “Trump-O’Donnell Therapy Session” with puppet versions of the duo, while Seth Meyers deadpanned: “Their feud’s older than ‘The Apprentice’ — and twice as scripted.”

At Mar-a-Lago, where Mr. Trump was hosting a donor brunch, the reaction was 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 “hating on women” line landed, the president paused mid-conversation, his face reddening, before muttering to an adviser, “Kimmel’s a clown — Rosie’s a has-been. 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 jester” and Ms. O’Donnell as a “fleeing loser.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, during Thursday’s briefing, dismissed the segment as “Hollywood desperation,” but insiders say the president views the O’Donnell grudge as personal — a wound from his early celebrity days when her “View” barbs threatened his brand. The feud, dormant since Ms. O’Donnell’s 2021 prison prayer, resurfaced with her Irish move, which she framed as a stand for “equal rights.”

Democrats pounced on the revival. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries quipped on MSNBC: “Trump’s still feuding with Rosie O’Donnell? That’s not leadership — that’s living rent-free in his head for 19 years.” A Quinnipiac poll released Friday showed Mr. Trump’s favorability among women at 32 percent — a low — with independents citing “petty vendettas” as emblematic of dysfunction amid the shutdown.

For Ms. O’Donnell, the episode is a reluctant return to the spotlight. “I’m done with his noise,” she told Variety in a brief statement. “Ireland’s my peace — let him rage alone.” Mr. Kimmel, whose contract expires in May, addressed the backlash in a post-credits clip: “If reviving a feud exposes obsession, guilty. Donald, call Rosie — or better yet, call a therapist.”

ABC executives, navigating FCC scrutiny from Mr. Trump’s ally Brendan Carr, issued no comment, but sources say they’re bracing for affiliate pressure akin to September’s suspension. In a polarized media age, Mr. Kimmel’s roast wasn’t mere entertainment — it was a mirror to power’s absurdities. As clips flood feeds and Mar-a-Lago simmers, one question lingers: In Trump’s America, does laughter wound deeper than policy? For now, the studios roar on, while the grudges endure.