Jimmy Kimmel returns, recaps the Emmys and Trump’s crazy summer

Jimmy Kimmel returned to late-night television after taking off the summer

On Monday night, the long wait was finally over. Jimmy Kimmel returned to his late-night TV gig on ABC after taking the first of what will be his annual summer vacations. Kimmel wasted no time in recapping his night hosting the Primetime Emmy Awards and also catching up on some headlines from President Donald Trump that he missed while away.

ABC has to be very pleased with how Jimmy Kimmel Live!‘s summer of guest hosts, including Samuel L. Jackson, Dua Lipa, and Kerry Washington, played out. Things will be even better next summer when (hopefully) a studio audience and in-person interviews return.

Until then, Kimmel is back in the driver’s seat. He made the most of a challenging situation in hosting the largely virtual Emmys on Sunday night and had a quick turnaround on Monday night as he returned to his show.

Kimmel’s monologue recapped his experience hosting the Emmys including the amusing reaction by those who fell for his crowd prank. The comedian also couldn’t help but revisit some of the stories from President Trump that he missed while enjoying his summer.

Jimmy Kimmel sounded happy to be back on late-night and back in a studio

Like the other late-night television hosts, Jimmy Kimmel hosted a number of shows from his house. He managed as well as anyone and fans certainly appreciated the effort. But from last night’s monologue, it’s clear that Kimmel is much more comfortable doing the show from his Hollywood studio surrounded by his staff and crew.

In discussing the Emmys, Kimmel acknowledged that his prediction did come true. The comedian anticipated that Sunday’s event would be the lowest rated edition of the Emmys and that was in fact the case, though it was no fault of Kimmel’s.

Kimmel moved on and shared a list of headlines involving President Trump that came up during the summer. They were covered by Kimmel’s fellow late-night hosts during his absence but Kimmel couldn’t help but summarize just how crazy the summer was. Some of the highlights, or lowlights, included President Trump:

• slowing down virus testing
• accusing President Barack Obama of treason
• attacking NASCAR
• claiming he aced a cognitive test
• endorsing Goya beans
• disparraging fallen soldiers

There are pros and cons for Kimmel taking off such an eventful summer. He didn’t have to pore over every sentence and appearance by President Trump or address the desperate situation the country is in when it’s so obvious to everyone. On the other hand, as a comedian, Kimmel was unable to put his unique spin on these stories and deliver punchlines at President Trump’s expense.

Kimmel has at least a few more months to make up for lost time. From now until the election, expect the ABC host to be relentless in his coverage of President Trump. The election results will then determine if Kimmel can leave President Trump in the past or if it will be four more years of headlines like the ones from this summer.

What did you think of Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.