Jimmy Kimmel, in Blistering Monologue, Accuses Trump and Greene of Hypocrisy on Epstein Files

By Sarah Ellison The New York Times November 21, 2025

LOS ANGELES — Jimmy Kimmel, the ABC late-night host who has become one of the most persistent comedic critics of former President Donald J. Trump, delivered a scathing 11-minute monologue on Thursday that directly linked Mr. Trump and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene to the controversy surrounding the impending release of Jeffrey Epstein’s court files, accusing both of “panicked backpedaling” after years of downplaying or deflecting questions about the late financier.

The segment, which aired on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” opened with Mr. Kimmel’s now-familiar sardonic grin and quickly escalated into what many viewers called the most pointed attack he has leveled this year. “The Epstein fallout,” Mr. Kimmel said, “is hitting exactly the people who swore it never would.”

He then played a montage of Mr. Trump’s recent statements—first opposing the unsealing of the files, then abruptly supporting it after bipartisan pressure—and juxtaposed them with archival clips of Ms. Greene dismissing Epstein-related inquiries as “deep-state distractions.” The studio audience responded with sustained laughter and applause, at one point rising to its feet.

The sharpest moment came when Mr. Kimmel displayed a split-screen of Mr. Trump at a news conference last week insisting he had “nothing to hide” on Epstein, alongside a 2019 interview in which Ms. Greene claimed the entire Epstein case was “a hoax to hurt Trump.” “Nothing to hide,” Mr. Kimmel repeated slowly. “Except, apparently, everything.”

The monologue concluded with a single, unsparing line that has since been viewed more than 18 million times across platforms: “If the Epstein files are so harmless, why do the two loudest voices telling us not to look suddenly sound like they’re hiding under the Resolute Desk?”

Within an hour, #KimmelTorchesMTG was the top trending topic in the United States. The clip spread rapidly on TikTok, where younger users slowed down Mr. Kimmel’s delivery for emphasis, and on X, where it was shared by both progressive commentators and a surprising number of anti-Trump conservatives.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Ms. Greene called the monologue “another tired Hollywood smear” and accused Mr. Kimmel of “doing the bidding of the same elites who protected Epstein for decades.” President Trump, posting on Truth Social shortly after midnight, described the host as a “low-energy loser whose ratings are in the toilet” and renewed threats to examine ABC’s broadcast license.

Behind the scenes, aides to both Mr. Trump and Ms. Greene were said to be furious. Two people familiar with the discussions, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mar-a-Lago staff received urgent calls from the former president demanding to know why the network had not been pressured more aggressively to rein in Mr. Kimmel. One aide to Ms. Greene described her as “livid,” texting allies that the monologue was “coordinated with the same people pushing the files.”

The timing could hardly be more charged. A federal judge in New York is expected to unseal the next tranche of Epstein documents as early as next week, following a bipartisan congressional mandate that Mr. Trump himself signed—after initially resisting—under intense pressure from both parties. The files are expected to detail social and financial connections between Epstein and dozens of prominent figures, including multiple references to Mr. Trump from the 1990s and early 2000s.

Mr. Kimmel, who returned from a brief suspension earlier this fall after controversial remarks about a conservative activist, has seen his audience grow among viewers under 50 during the current political season. Thursday’s episode drew an estimated 4.8 million same-night viewers, according to preliminary Nielsen data, the show’s highest Thursday rating in nearly two years.

Whether the monologue marks a turning point in the Epstein saga or simply another viral moment in an endlessly polarized media landscape remains unclear. But for one night, at least, Mr. Kimmel succeeded in doing what few in Washington have managed: forcing the former president and one of his most vocal congressional defenders to confront, in prime time and to laughter, the very subject they have spent years trying to bury.