President Donald Trump just can't quit late-night TV. Another social media post proved that the president keeps up with what hosts are saying, prompting Jimmy Kimmel to step up and defend his fellow "late-night morons" from the leader of the free world.
The latest back-and-forth between the White House and late-night comes after Trump lashed out at television coverage surrounding the Iran war, taking particular aim at late-night hosts in a lengthy post on Truth Social. In it, the president praised FCC chair Brendan Carr and suggested federal intervention of broadcasters while lumping comedians into his broader media grievances.
“I am so thrilled to see Brendan Carr, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), looking at the licenses of some of these Corrupt and Highly Unpatriotic ‘News’ Organizations,” Trump wrote. “They get Billions of Dollars of FREE American Airwaves, and use it to perpetuate LIES, both in News and almost all of their Shows, including the Late Night Morons, who get gigantic Salaries for horrible Ratings, and never get, as I used to say in The Apprentice, ‘FIRED.’ Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP,”
Kimmel didn’t waste much time responding. During his monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host delivered rebuttal: “You know what? You’re welcome. I don’t know if you were thanking me, but you are welcome. On behalf of all my fellow late-night morons, you are welcome.”
It’s a line that summarizes Kimmel’s approach to Trump in recent years as the comedian becomes more and more part of the news he covers. Trump lashes out, and Kimmel plays it off, getting joy out of irritating the president.
The insult from Trump also highlights just how closely he continues to track late-night television. His repeated callouts of hosts like Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and JImmy Fallon suggest a level of engagement that borders on fixation. What might once have felt like a rare presidential commentary has now become something closer to routine.
That frequency seems to be taking the bite out of Trump's crashouts. Kimmel, for his part, no longer treats these attacks as particularly noteworthy. Instead, he dismisses them ease as if they were coming from a C-list celebrity rather than the sitting president.
Of course, the tension between Kimmel and Trump isn’t new. The comedian has long been a thorn in Trump’s side, dating back to his early days in office and continuing through multiple election cycles. More recently, Kimmel has even found himself caught up in broader regulatory conversations, including his temporary suspension tied to controversial remarks about Charlie Kirk’s death
Still, if Trump’s goal is to put a scare into late-night TV, Kimmel’s response suggests the opposite effect. The hosts, Kimmel's fellow "late-night morons," aren't backing down.