Donald Trump posted another demand Thursday that ABC fire Jimmy Kimmel. Kimmel spent his opening monologue making the most of it.
On Thursday's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," the host displayed Trump's Truth Social message on screen: "When is ABC Fake News Network firing seriously unfunny Jimmy Kimmel, who incompetently presides over one of the Lowest Rated shows on Television? People are angry. It better be soon!!!"
Kimmel's response was direct. Pulling up a headline showing Trump's approval ratings had hit a new low for his second term, he told the audience: "If incompetently presiding over not just 'one of' but the lowest rating in history is the reason I should be fired, we should both be out of a job — because you're not doing too good either."
He also noted that Trump called into Newsmax Thursday afternoon to label him a "lowlife" and again demand his dismissal. Kimmel compared the president's outrage to the arrest of former CIA director James Comey, who was recently indicted over a photo of beach seashells arranged to form the numbers 86 47. "This guy is so mad, you would think I posted a picture of seashells or something," Kimmel said.
The broader feud escalated after Kimmel hosted a mock White House Correspondents' Dinner on his show last Thursday. One joke about Melania Trump — "You have a glow like an expectant widow" — prompted both the president and first lady to call for his firing. Kimmel declined to apologize on Monday, calling it a "light roast" remark. The FCC followed by opening an early review of Disney's broadcast TV licenses, though a Disney spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter the company was "confident" its record "demonstrates our continued qualifications as licensees" and was prepared to defend them through legal channels.
On Thursday, Kimmel argued the attacks served a different purpose entirely. "All of this is meant to distract us from the prices he didn't lower on day one, and from the Trump-Epstein files that his attorney general refuses to release, and to distract us from the illegal war he started and can't figure out how to get out of," he said.
The comedian drew the conflict out to its logical extreme. "Trump has three wars going on right now — Iranians, Ukrainians, and comedians," he said. He then proposed a diplomatic solution: peace talks, held at a neutral location. "Send JD Vance and Jared and your friend the real estate broker — send them all. We can meet in Van Nuys. We can go to the Buffalo Wild Wings down the street."
"Let's see if we can come up with a cease-fire agreement," Kimmel added. "I get to keep my job, you get to end your 11th war."
