Jimmy Kimmel’s evolution as a comedian is perhaps the most striking of any of his late-night rivals.
Kimmel made a name for himself in the early 2000s as co-host of Comedy Central’s sketch comedy series “The Man Show.” His humor thrived on political incorrectness as “The Man Show” touted male stereotypes, famously featured “girls on trampolines” and Kimmel himself repeatedly donned blackface to impersonate celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and NBA star Karl Malone. He also used the n-word while parodying Snoop Dogg’s music in 1996.
He entered the big leagues in 2003 with the launch of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC after the 2002 cancellation of “Politically Incorrect,” which was engulfed in a national firestorm when host Bill Maher argued the 9/11 hijackers weren’t cowardly just days after the 2001 terrorist attacks.
For several years, Kimmel largely refrained from controversy. Even during the 2016 election cycle, he had a very cordial interview with then-candidate Donald Trump, who made previous appearances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” promoting “The Apprentice.”
Weeks after Trump’s inauguration, Kimmel swiped the new president while hosting the Oscars.
“I want to say thank you to President Trump. I mean, remember last year when it seemed like the Oscars were racist? It’s gone!” Kimmel said to the crowd of liberal A-listers in February 2017.
It wasn’t until May 2017 that Kimmel began embracing the role as a liberal activist. He offered a tearful monologue following his newborn son’s open-heart surgery and began advocating for affordable healthcare for everyone, putting pressure on GOP lawmakers at the time during their effort to repeal Obamacare.
That September, he called out Republican senators like Lindsey Graham, S.C., and Bill Cassidy, La., for their health care proposal, and he used talking points opposing the reform measure sent from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Kimmel then drew liberal media plaudits when he used his entire monologue on Oct. 3, 2017, to call for gun control and attack Republicans in the aftermath of the Las Vegas massacre. During his remarks, he made several misleading remarks, such as suggesting semi-automatic rifles — which fire one bullet per trigger pull and make up the vast majority of rifles in the United States –- aren’t used in home defense. He accused Republicans who disagreed on the Second Amendment of not caring about who lived or died.
“We have a major problem with gun control in this country, and I guess they don’t care,” he said. “And if I’m wrong on that, fine, do something about it, because I’m sick of it. I want this to be a comedy show. I hate talking about stuff like this.”
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Days later, Kimmel spoke candidly about the risk he runs alienating viewers as he became more political during an interview on “CBS Sunday Morning.”
“I want everyone with a television to watch the show, but if they’re so turned off by my opinion on health care and gun violence, then … I probably wouldn’t want to have a conversation with them anyway.” he said.
It didn’t take long for Kimmel to start lobbing personal attacks. Following the 2018 White House Easter Egg Roll, Kimmel mocked First Lady Melania Trump’s accent after playing a clip of her reading a book to children. To commemorate the halfway point of Trump’s first term in 2019, Kimmel had a skit depicting the president’s late father Fred Trump in hell and another skit making lewd jokes about his then-White House counselor Kellyanne Conway’s personal life.
In August 2019, Kimmel mocked Trump voters, saying Americans who support the president have been “repeatedly punched in the head.”
Leading up to the 2020 election cycle, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” increasingly became a platform for Democrats, rolling out the red carpet for presidential hopefuls like Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Cory Booker. Kimmel even handed the keys over to Pete Buttigieg to guest-host his show in March 2020.
He’s also welcomed other top Democrats over the years, including Sen. Adam Schiff, Calif., Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, N.Y., Jasmine Crockett, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, failed Texas senate candidate Beto O’Rouke, and failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.
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Kimmel took flack for peddling a misleading video of then-Vice President Mike Pence, accusing him of carrying “empty” PPE boxes at a healthcare facility in the early months of COVID. He was forced to apologize. In December 2020, Kimmel argued Pence shouldn’t get the COVID vaccine after Pence falsely predicted earlier in the pandemic that a second wave of the virus wouldn’t occur, saying, “The only cure Mike Pence should get right now is a bottle of Clorox and a heat lamp.”
Ahead of the election, Kimmel urged viewers to vote out Republicans he accused of wanting to gut pre-existing condition measures in health insurance laws. Kimmel celebrated Biden’s inauguration in January 2021, saying he personally felt “great again” and gushing over the “beautiful” ceremony.
Kimmel once suggested that over-crowded hospitals shouldn’t treat patients who did not take the COVID vaccine.
“That choice doesn’t seem so tough to me. Vaccinated having a heart attack? Yes, come right in. We’ll take care of you. Unvaccinated guy who gobbled horse goo, rest in peace, wheezy,” Kimmel quipped in September 2021.
Last year, Kimmel played a pivotal role in shielding Biden’s cognitive decline. In February 2024, he completely avoided mentioning the Robert Hur report, which revealed the DOJ would not prosecute Biden over his mishandling of classified documents because a jury would find him being a “sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.” In early June, he avoided The Wall Street Journal report that early June that said Biden was showing “signs of slipping” behind the scenes.
Kimmel emceed the now-infamous Los Angeles fundraiser that was highlighted in “Original Sin,” where Biden appeared not to have recognized celebrity fundraiser co-host George Clooney in an exchange backstage. Kimmel could also be seen in the viral video of Biden freezing on stage and being escorted away by former President Barack Obama.
At the time, Kimmel insisted there was no there there.
“There’s a clip of Joe Biden going around today. They say he froze and had to be escorted offstage on Saturday night. I was standing right next to him when it happened. He didn’t freeze. He was just listening to the people calling him in the front row,” Kimmel told his audience before slamming “right-wing media” for “working very hard to claim Biden’s out of it” last June.
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The ABC host did, however, roast conservatives for insisting Biden would be replaced on the Democratic ticket, saying it “almost makes no sense” within days of Biden’s disastrous debate performance.
Fast-forward to November, when Kimmel choked up during an emotional monologue reacting to Trump’s victory.
“Let’s be honest, it was a terrible night last night,” Kimmel told his audience. “It was a terrible night for women, for children, for the hundreds of thousands of hardworking immigrants who make this country go.”
He continued, while holding back tears, “Um, for health care, for our climate, for science, for journalism, for justice, for free speech. It was a terrible night for poor people, for the middle class, for seniors who rely on social security. For our allies in Ukraine, for NATO, for the truth and democracy and decency. And it was a terrible night for everyone who voted against him, and guess what? It was a bad night for everyone who voted for him too. You just don’t realize it yet.”
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In March of this year, Kimmel appeared to endorse the vandalizing of Tesla vehicles during Elon Musk’s stint leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for the second Trump administration.
“People have been vandalizing Tesla vehicles, new Tesla vehicles. Please, don’t vandalize, don’t ever vandalize Tesla vehicles,” Kimmel said, looking at the camera and pausing to seemingly emphasize his sarcasm.
In June, Kimmel participated in the “No Kings” protests that were held nationwide.
“A huge, inspiring and yes – peaceful – turnout in the South Bay. I met many people who love this country and still believe it to be a force for good. I am grateful to see so many Americans take action to stand up for our friends and neighbors, most of all, my parents. I know how fortunate I am to have been born into a family that taught me to care about others and that the most important words ever spoken are ‘Love one another.’ It really is as simple as that,” Kimmel posted on Instagram.
He posted a photo of a shirt that he wore for the protest as well, which read “Make America Good Again,” and told his followers, “See you out there.”
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“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” came to a screeching halt on Wednesday following growing backlash against Kimmel over comments he made about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
On Monday, Kimmel suggested the alleged assassin, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was part of the “MAGA gang” despite reports he had a left-wing ideology, which was later reaffirmed in Tuesday’s indictment.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel told his audience.
He also mocked Trump over an exchange he had with a reporter about Kirk’s death, saying, “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of somebody he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK?”
Disney was facing mounting pressure from ABC affiliate stations around the country as well as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over its handling of Kimmel. The company ultimately decided it would preempt his show “indefinitely.”
While Kimmel’s future at ABC remains uncertain, his viewership does not bode well for him. Over the past decade, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” lost 40% of its total audience, falling from an average of 2.4 million viewers in 2015 to 1.6 million in 2025. It’s even worse among the advertiser-coveted demo ages 25-54, going from nearly 1 million of them in 2015 to just 261,000 in 2025, a staggering 72% drop.
During a 2022 interview, Kimmel admitted his fan base took a hit for his anti-Trump obsession, and shrugged off concerns from his ABC bosses who wanted him to tamp it down.
“I just said, ‘Listen, if that’s what you want to do, I understand, and I don’t begrudge you for it, but I’m not going to do that,’” Kimmel said. “‘So, you know, if you want somebody else to host the show, then that’s fine. That’s OK with me. I’m just not going to do it like that.’”
