Jimmy Kimmel’s Scathing Monologue on Trump and Leavitt Draws White House Fury, Igniting Late-Night Firestorm

By Sarah Ellison The New York Times November 22, 2025

LOS ANGELES — Jimmy Kimmel, whose late-night monologues have evolved into a weekly dispatch from the front lines of American absurdity, turned his sights Thursday on President Trump and his 27-year-old press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, in a blistering 12-minute opener that dissected their defenses of the president’s recent “Quiet, piggy!” outburst at a female reporter — a segment that left the studio in uproarious chaos and prompted a midnight eruption from Mr. Trump that has since dominated headlines and social media.

The monologue, which drew 5.3 million viewers — the highest Thursday rating for “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” since the election — began with Mr. Kimmel replaying the viral clip from Air Force One last week, where Mr. Trump snapped at Bloomberg News correspondent Catherine Lucey during a question on the Epstein files: “Quiet, piggy!” Ms. Leavitt, in Thursday’s White House briefing, had defended the remark as “frank and honest,” crediting it for Mr. Trump’s authentic appeal. Mr. Kimmel leaned into the camera, eyebrows arched in mock horror: “Frank and honest? That’s code for ‘I’m the boss, and you’re a farm animal.’ Karoline, you’re out there spinning for a guy who once mused about your lips moving like a ‘machine gun’ on Air Force One. Does the White House have an HR department, or is that just another department he’s shutting down?”

The Los Angeles audience detonated, a wave of laughter and applause spilling into the aisles as several spectators rose spontaneously, chanting “HR! HR!” Mr. Kimmel, barely containing his own mirth, pressed on, pivoting to Ms. Leavitt’s high-profile marriage to Nicholas Riccio, a 56-year-old real estate developer — a 29-year age gap that has fueled Washington whispers. “She’s married to a much older real estate magnate,” he quipped, flashing a split-screen of Ms. Leavitt at the podium and Mr. Riccio at a Trump fundraiser. “Which, you know, in that case — you’re hired.” The line, a pointed riff on Mr. Trump’s history of similar comments about women in his orbit, including his daughter Ivanka, landed with a mix of cheers and uneasy groans, underscoring the monologue’s razor edge: equal parts comedy and cultural critique.

Mr. Kimmel wove in broader hypocrisies, mocking Ms. Leavitt’s dismissal of questions about Mr. Trump’s crypto donor dinners — private fund-raisers for top holders of his memecoin, which she called “absurd” to scrutinize — and her claim that the U.S. military had “turned on the water” in California to combat wildfires, a falsehood debunked by drone footage of parched reservoirs. “Karoline’s promising a circus-like atmosphere at the White House,” he said, “but it’s more like a fun house — mirrors everywhere, and nothing’s quite as it seems.” The crowd’s ovation lasted nearly a minute, forcing the house band to improvise a discordant “Hail to the Chief” remix as confetti cannons fired.

At Mar-a-Lago, where Mr. Trump was wrapping a donor brunch, the reaction was one of volcanic fury. Three people familiar with the gathering, speaking on condition of anonymity, described aides scrambling as the president, alerted by a vibrating phone from Ms. Leavitt herself, demanded the segment be streamed on a conference room screen. As the “machine gun lips” bit played — a reference to Mr. Trump’s October comments aboard Air Force One about Ms. Leavitt’s briefing style — Mr. Trump reportedly slammed his fist on the table, face flushing crimson, and bellowed: “That’s it — she’s done, he’s done, ABC’s done! Call Brendan, get the FCC on it now!” Ms. Leavitt, watching from the White House residence, fired off a flurry of texts to allies, accusing Mr. Kimmel of “sexist smears” and vowing to escalate complaints, according to two of the people.

By 12:32 a.m., Mr. Trump had unleashed a 350-word Truth Social rant: “Crooked Jimmy Kimmel, ratings in the toilet, attacks beautiful, brilliant Karoline Leavitt — a STAR! — with disgusting lies about her and ME. Late-night scum funded by Soros. Get them OFF AIR NOW! #FakeNews #MAGA.” Ms. Leavitt amplified it on X, posting: “Kimmel’s ‘comedy’ is just misogyny in a suit. The president is authentic; Hollywood is scripted hate.” The posts, viewed 8.5 million times combined, sparked a MAGA backlash: Hashtags like #FireKimmel and #StandWithKaroline trended nationwide, with supporters sharing edited clips framing the monologue as a “deep-state hit.”

Yet the viral wave cut both ways. On TikTok, slowed-down replays of the age-gap joke garnered 12 million views, with Gen Z creators stitching in reactions from “The View” panelists who called Ms. Leavitt’s defenses “tone-deaf.” Even some conservatives distanced themselves; Fox News contributor Kayleigh McEnany, Ms. Leavitt’s predecessor, tweeted: “Humor’s fair game, but let’s focus on policy wins, not personal jabs.” Polling from Cygnal shows Mr. Trump’s favorability among women dipping to 32 percent — a second-term low — amid the Epstein files’ shadow and shutdown fatigue.

For Ms. Leavitt, the youngest press secretary in history, the monologue risks amplifying scrutiny of her rapid rise: from Trump campaign spokesperson to White House mouthpiece in under a year, often at the expense of her own gaffes, like the wildfire “water” claim that Mr. Kimmel eviscerated. Insiders say she views Mr. Kimmel as a “bully enabler,” but allies worry the feud distracts from pressing crises, including a looming debt-ceiling fight.

Mr. Kimmel, whose show has surged 22 percent in ratings since January, addressed the backlash in a post-credits clip: “If exposing hypocrisy is a crime, lock me up with the rest of the truth-tellers.” ABC executives, still smarting from a September suspension tied to FCC complaints, issued no statement, but sources say they’re bracing for renewed affiliate pushback.

In a polarized media ecosystem, Mr. Kimmel’s strike wasn’t just 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 White House fumes in silence.