As President Donald Trump continues to escalate his attacks on late-night television, Jimmy Kimmel has conitinued to take on the role as the genre's most vocal defender. Another chapter was added on Tuesday night as Kimmel fired back at the president once more.
While other hosts have certainly weighed in on Trump's attacks, Kimmel has repeatedly responded almost every time the president takes aim at comedians. Whether it's defending Stephen Colbert following the cancellation of The Late Show or pushing back against claims that late-night television is irrelevant, Kimmel has made it clear he isn't interested in letting President Trump get the final word.
That trend continued Tuesday night after Trump used social media to boast about recent victories over political opponents and media figures while suggesting that more late-night hosts could soon face trouble.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that he has "taken out many bad Political 'Leaders' and Pundits" in the last two weeks, including "REALLY DUMB Stephen Colbert of CBS." The president went on to threaten other comedians, adding "three more limping Late Night Talk Show Hosts, including Low Ratings Bill Maher and his Fake 'Laughing Machine,' to go."
Rather than treating the president's remarks as a serious threat, Kimmel questioned why Trump appeared so focused on television personalities in the first place. The ABC host joked that the president should have more pressing matters to deal with than feuding with comedians. That even includes "finding a replacement for Milli Vanilli at his Coachella from hella on July 4?," Kimmel added.
Kimmel also suggested there may have been another reason for Trump's latest outburst. Just days after Jimmy Kimmel Live! earned a Peabody Award, the host joked that the recognition may have gotten under the president's skin.
And just like in his acceptance speech, Kimmel added to the list of insulting nicknames for President Trump. After calling the president "Captain Cankeroo," Kimmel continued, saying "I'm not sure I'd be calling us limping when you've got cankles like this, honey" and showing a photo of Trump's foot. "Look at that. It's like they put a shoe on a balloon animal made out of sausage links."
It's also worth noting that Kimmel came to the defense of Bill Maher. The Real Time host previously revealed he thinks Kimmel will never talk to him again after Maher reacted to comments made by Molly McNearney, Kimmel's wife. But apparently, Kimmel is willing to put aside personal differences in order to defend the larger late-night TV community against President Trump.
If Trump hoped his latest social media post would intimidate late-night hosts into backing off, Kimmel's response suggested the opposite. Kimmel already knows that ABC is in his corner (for now) against the Trump administration.
Kimmel probably doesn't need the backup to take on President Trump. He's proven time and time again that he's more than capable of being first in line to trade insults with the president.
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