Every Christmas Day, UK viewers are treated to two Christmas speeches. The first is from the monarch, who is now King Charles III, and the second is an alternate message that is broadcast on Channel 4. The Alternative Christmas Message has been done by a variety of celebrities, and the 2025 one will see an American late night host give his message.
Channel 4 shares that Jimmy Kimmel will get the honor for the Channel 4 speech. It will air after the King’s speech on BBC One, which is tradition. After all, there is a push to watch the Royal Family speeches.
A ‘really great year’ for fascism on the Alternative Christmas Message
While Channel 4 hasn’t stated exactly what the speech will include in full, there are a few suggestions. One of those is that he will focus on the state of free speech, with a declaration that “from a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year.”
Kimmel is no stranger to talking about his thoughts on the state of the world on his late night show. Why would he do anything different on the Christmas Day event? There is expected to be some focus on how Kimmel and the Trump administration has constantly gone at each other and the brief suspension from ABC, which led to a series of celebrities cancelling Disney+ and calling Disney out for the decision.
The Alternative Christmas Message isn’t designed to be something to watch instead of the Royal speech. Instead, it’s focused on an alternate look at the year, and it first screened in 1993. Stephen Fry and Danny Dyer have been hosts of the speech in the past.
It makes sense for Kimmel to be the one to give the 2025 speech. After all, this year has had a lot of focus on Donald Trump, the White House, and the attack on free speech in the United States. Considering Kimmel has been at the forefront of it all, Channel 4 wants to give him the airtime to reflect on it.
Will the Alternative Christmas Message with Jimmy Kimmel be available in the U.S.
For those in the UK, Channel 4 will air the message at 5:45 p.m. local on Christmas Day. It will then be available on Channel 4’s playback website.
Of course, with this being a UK show, there are questions about whether it will be available in the U.S. There is hope! Previous messages are available via the Channel 4 YouTube channel, including Fry’s from 2024. This suggests that U.S. fans will be able to watch the Kimmel speech. It may not be exactly on Christmas Day, but it should be available shortly afterward.
Channel 4’s Alternative Christmas Message with Jimmy Kimmel will air on Christmas Day at 5:45 p.m. GMT.