Thought Kimmel was anti-Trump before? You should watch his show now

It should be startling to hear the president of the United States described as looking like “a glazed ham with deep vein thrombosis”. Let alone on a mainstream talk show like Jimmy Kimmel Live!. But this recent punchline (deriding Trump’s medical expertise after the Tylenol saga) is revealing of the combative climate currently engulfing the US TV landscape. In these feverish times, a joke like this has become not only acceptable but unexceptional.

It’s also an indication of just how punchy the show has become since returning from a week-long suspension in September. Kimmel and his writers have roared back with a vengeance and been relentless in their mockery of the country’s commander-in-chief.

Jimmy Kimmel on the set of his show in September.Credit: AP

Over the past seven weeks, nothing has seemed off-limits: Trump’s appearance and behaviour; his family and associates; his policies and their impact. And while the president might wish that the troublesome question of the Epstein files would go away, Kimmel and co. are doing everything they can to keep it on the radar.

If there was any degree of caution or reticence before the show’s removal and reinstatement, it’s been abandoned. Kimmel and his writers are now off the leash.

Late-night TV has become a battleground amid Trump’s war on media. The genre’s customary lampooning of political leaders and events has infuriated a president highly sensitive and reactive to criticism. His attacks on Kimmel and others have raised crucial questions about freedom of speech and the role of political satire. As well, there are concerns about whether the global conglomerates that now own the TV networks are willing to risk riling the government when their varied commercial interests might be threatened.

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The first shot across the bow came with CBS’s July announcement that it would not be renewing The Late Show With Stephen Colbert when its season ends in May 2026. “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired,” Trump crowed on social media.

Then came Kimmel’s contentious comments following the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, accusing the MAGA movement of trying to score political points from the killing. The response from Trump supporters and officials he’d appointed was fast and furious, calling for the show’s cancellation.

ABC, which is owned by Disney, yanked the show off the air, announcing that it had been “pre-empted indefinitely”, a panicked reaction that rebounded on them. Disney subscribers cancelled in droves, the company’s share price plummeted and more than 400 of Kimmel’s entertainment industry and media colleagues signed an open letter condemning the decision as “a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation”.

Kimmel was reinstated and the ratings for his return rocketed. More than 6 million people tuned in to ABC, with millions more streaming online. Since the initial spike, the numbers have reverted to more regular levels, although in the areas where figures are accessible – for broadcast TV – they’ve increased slightly overall. On YouTube, Kimmel’s segments about Trump are routinely the most popular on the channel, boasting between 3 million and 6 million views each.

Kimmel set the tone for what has followed in his first monologue back: “Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can’t take a joke. He did his best to cancel me, and instead he forces millions of people to watch the show. That backfired bigly. He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now.”

Since then, arguably empowered as its corporate bosses have been cowed, the show has become a lesson about the danger of attacking comedians: they can bite back.

The ribbing has been both personal and political. Unflattering attention has been paid to Trump’s awkward dance moves at public events, his misspellings in social media posts, and his tendency to doze off during others’ speeches. There are jokes about his bloated ankles, swollen hands and weight, which has attracted nicknames like Engorge Washington and King Hungry the Eighth. His speeches have seen him dubbed Ramblestiltskin.

After Trump boasted about how well he did on his cognitive tests, Kimmel dubbed him Fat Albert Einstein. Around Halloween, he became President Pumpkinhead. A lavish, Great Gatsby-themed Halloween fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago was not only chastised as being tone-deaf when millions of Americans faced the imminent loss of food-assistance due to the government shutdown, but also saw POTUS labelled The Great Fatsby. Then Kimmel added for good measure: “It’s like a demented version of Cinderella where the pumpkin is in charge.”

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Trump’s second son, Eric, is a favoured target, portrayed as needy and desperate for his father’s approval. Looking to international relations, Kimmel joked: “Every now and then when he needs a good laugh, Putin schedules a call with Trump. Putin is Bart Simpson and Trump is his Mo.” The president has been accused of “brazenly lying” about the economy and grocery prices. “Everything he touches dies,” Kimmel quipped. “Good news, Melania: you’re going to live forever.”

As well as starting its own food bank, the show has invited people living in cities that have allegedly descended into chaos to send in clips of what’s actually going on in their neighbourhoods. The scenes of peaceful street fairs and breakfast specials boosting patronage at diners have been very funny, leaving viewers wondering about Trump’s motives in mobilising the National Guard.

Trump has pondered whether networks that give him “bad publicity or press” should have their licences revoked. Recently, Late Night With Seth Meyers aroused his ire. “Why does NBC waste its time and money on a guy like this?” he posted. “No talent, no ratings, 100 per cent anti-Trump, which is probably illegal.”

Amid this hostile environment, late-night TV stalwart Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show, outlined his strategy in a recent interview: “You don’t compromise on what you do, and you do it ′til they tell you to leave. That’s all you can do.”

That also seems to be the approach that Kimmel has taken. With considerable gusto.

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