Jimmy Kimmel has yet another public feud on his hands. This time, it's Megyn Kelly taking aim at the late-night host, and it all goes back to the legendary Johnny Carson.
On Thursday’s episode of her podcast The Megyn Kelly Show, Kelly blasted Kimmel over comments he made during a recent appearance on Michelle Obama's IMO podcast, where the late-night host defended comedians engaging with politics, particularly in the era of Donald Trump.
Kimmel argued that avoiding discussions about Trump-era policies or controversies would be “embarrassing,” especially given the current cultural and political climate. “It just shows a great deal of ignorance when it comes to comedy, to say, ‘Well, Johnny Carson didn’t do this,’” Kimmel said. “Like, well, first of all, we’re living in a different time. And secondly, how do you know Johnny Carson wouldn’t do it?”
That reference to Johnny Carson is what set Kelly off. “But Jimmy Kimmel needs to feel important,” Kelly seethed, dismissing his approach as self-serving. She went on to suggest that Kimmel has lost sight of what she framed as comedy’s “lofty goal” of simply making people laugh.
To counter Kimmel’s point, Kelly played an old clip of Carson cautioning comedians against diving too deeply into politics, warning that it could come across as self-important. For Kelly, the contrast between the two hosts couldn’t have been clearer.
“That’s the difference between humility and hubris,” Kelly said, praising Carson as “humble” and someone who understood the proper role as a comedian. Kelly didn’t stop there. She accused Kimmel of effectively rewriting Carson’s legacy to justify his own political commentary, arguing that his remarks amounted to “smears” against the late-night icon. In her view, Kimmel was implying that Trump is such an unprecedented figure that even Carson would have abandoned his philosophy on political comedy.
Kimmel and fellow late-night hosts like Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers have heard this argument before: that they shouldn't talk politics. Other comedians, like Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien, followed a similar path to Carson, albeit in different ways. But there's no one way to do comedy, especially when it comes in the form of nightly, topical monologues.
Whether audiences agree likely depends on what they expect from late-night in 2026. Either an escape from the headlines, or a nightly monologue that dives straight into them.
Kimmel didn't respond to Kelly during his show on Thursday night. However, the late-night host has never backed away from a feud. So there's a good chance we haven't heard the end of Kelly vs. Kimmel. Stay tuned.
Add us as a preferred source on Google