Trump’s Late-Night Feud With Kimmel Escalates, Sending Ripples Through Mar-a-Lago and Media Circles

PALM BEACH, Fla. — The gilded halls of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald J. Trump’s winter White House, are no strangers to high-stakes drama. But on Thursday night, as guests mingled under crystal chandeliers during a post-Thanksgiving soiree, whispers of panic rippled through the crowd like a poorly timed toast. The culprit? A blistering monologue on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” that had just aired on the West Coast, skewering Mr. Trump over his ties to the late Jeffrey Epstein. By midnight, Mr. Trump, 79, had fired off a Truth Social post demanding ABC “get the bum off the air,” reigniting a feud with the late-night host that has become a bizarre barometer of the president’s media grievances.

The outburst capped a week of escalating tensions, with aides describing an atmosphere at the Florida estate as “full-blow panic mode.” One longtime Mar-a-Lago insider, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid the boss’s wrath, likened it to “the morning after the Access Hollywood tape, but with better catering.” Staffers scrambled to coordinate responses, including a 17-point memo of complaints against ABC News that circulated internally before leaking to reporters. The document, obtained by The Times, accused the network of “coordinated sabotage” and urged allies to pressure affiliates like Nexstar and Sinclair to boycott Mr. Kimmel’s show.

It all stemmed from Wednesday’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” where Mr. Kimmel, 57, devoted his opening 10 minutes to the Epstein saga — a topic that has haunted Mr. Trump since unsealed court documents in January revealed flight logs and messages linking the former president to the financier’s orbit. With Congress voting this week to release more federal Epstein files — a bill Mr. Trump signed into law amid bipartisan pressure — Mr. Kimmel pounced. “We are ever closer to answering the question: What did the president know, and how old were these women when he knew it?” the host quipped, riffing on Senator Howard Baker’s Watergate query. He flashed old photos of Mr. Trump and Epstein at Mar-a-Lago parties, adding, “Every time he gets asked about Jeffrey Epstein, he loses his mind.”

The monologue, viewed by 2.1 million households, wasn’t just comedy; it was a live-TV exposé that struck at the heart of Mr. Trump’s post-election vulnerabilities. Polls show his approval dipping to 42 percent amid scrutiny over the Epstein files, with independents citing “unresolved questions” about his past associations. At Mar-a-Lago, where Mr. Trump retreated after signing the bill, the reaction was visceral. “The place went quiet — you could hear the silverware clink,” the insider said. Mr. Trump, pacing the Terrace, reportedly barked orders to his digital team: “Hit back hard. Tell them about the ratings!” By 12:49 a.m. Eastern, his post went live: “Why does ABC Fake News keep Jimmy Kimmel, a man with NO TALENT and VERY POOR TELEVISION RATINGS, on the air? Get the bum off the air!!!”

This isn’t Mr. Trump’s first rodeo with Mr. Kimmel. Their beef dates to 2015, when the host mocked the then-candidate’s hands and temperament. But it intensified in September, when ABC briefly suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” nationwide after Mr. Kimmel’s comments on the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk drew fire from Mr. Trump’s FCC chair, Brendan Carr. Affiliates balked, citing “public interest” concerns, and Mr. Trump crowed on Truth Social about the “cancellation.” The show returned after five days, with ratings spiking 18 percent upon Mr. Kimmel’s emotional comeback. Now, with the Epstein bill forcing transparency, Mr. Kimmel has become a lightning rod again — a symbol of the late-night circuit’s unyielding scrutiny.

Mr. Kimmel, ever the pugilist, didn’t flinch. On Thursday’s show, he addressed the post with a mix of bemusement and bite. “I’ve honestly lost count of how many times the president has demanded I be pulled off the air,” he said, sipping from a mug. “I woke up this morning, my wife comes out of the bathroom with her phone: ‘Um, Trump tweeted you should be fired again.’ I was like, ‘Oh.’ Then I went downstairs and made bagels for the kids.” He fired back with a montage of Mr. Trump’s sagging poll numbers, quipping, “He keeps saying we have bad ratings. Listen to him — if anyone knows about bad ratings, it’s that guy.” In a nod to Mr. Trump’s recent “piggy” slur against a Bloomberg reporter, Mr. Kimmel concluded: “Quiet, piggy.” He offered a mock deal: “I’ll go when you go. Let’s ride off into the sunset like Butch Cassidy and the Suntan Kid.”

The exchange has broader implications, exposing fault lines in Mr. Trump’s media strategy. Critics, including late-night peers like Seth Meyers, see it as authoritarian overreach. Mr. Meyers joked on Monday that he’d joined Mr. Kimmel on the “shit list” alongside F.B.I. Director Christopher Wray and Senator Rand Paul. Media watchdogs worry about FCC leverage: Mr. Carr has hinted at revoking licenses for “bias,” a tactic that echoes Mr. Trump’s first term threats against NBC and CNN. ABC, owned by Disney, declined comment, but executives privately fumed over the “chilling effect” on affiliates. Ratings data shows “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” up 12 percent year-over-year, buoyed by anti-Trump viewers, while Mr. Trump’s Truth Social engagement — once a megaphone — has flatlined at 1.2 million daily users.

At Mar-a-Lago, the panic wasn’t just personal; it was political. The Epstein files, due for release by January, could unearth more about Mr. Trump’s 1990s socializing with the disgraced financier, including a 2002 quote calling Epstein a “terrific guy” who liked women “on the younger side.” Aides fear it could alienate suburban women, a group that narrowly backed him in 2024. “It’s not the jokes — it’s the reminder,” the insider said. Mr. Trump, undeterred, teased a counterpunch Friday: “Kimmel’s a loser — low IQ, like Obama. We’ll see about that license!”

On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, #CancelKimmel trended with 450,000 posts, split between MAGA cheers and liberal memes of Mr. Trump in a porkpie hat. One viral clip showed Mr. Kimmel’s son asking why “the orange man” hates Daddy, prompting Mr. Kimmel to quip, “He’s just jealous — I have better hair.” Comedians like Stephen Colbert piled on: “Trump’s so obsessed with Kimmel, he’s basically proposing.”

Yet amid the farce, darker undercurrents emerge. Historians draw parallels to Richard Nixon’s “enemies list,” where perceived slights fueled vendettas. “This isn’t entertainment — it’s erosion,” said Timothy Naftali, a presidential scholar. “When a leader weaponizes regulators against satire, it’s a step toward silencing dissent.” Free-speech advocates, including the A.C.L.U., issued a statement Friday urging Congress to shield the FCC from political interference.

For Mr. Kimmel, a father whose son underwent open-heart surgery as a newborn, the stakes feel personal. “I’m not going anywhere,” he told his audience Thursday. “Comedy’s the last line of defense.” As Mar-a-Lago’s lights dimmed on another chaotic night, the president retired to his quarters, phone in hand. The feud, it seems, is far from over — a late-night war in a presidency defined by grudges.