Jimmy Kimmel has delivered a fierce critique of Donald Trump, labeling him ‘King Donny the Eighth’ and accusing him of ‘calling for executions’ in a broadcast on British television.
These remarks were part of Channel 4’s ‘Alternative Christmas Message,’ which aired on Christmas Day, coinciding with King Charles’s address to the nation on other channels.
In his message, Kimmel urged the UK not to ‘give up’ on America, although he admitted that the country was experiencing a ‘little wobble’ recently.
During his approximately five-minute speech, Kimmel specifically targeted Trump, suggesting that he aspires to be a king rather than just settling for the presidency.
Importantly, Kimmel also vowed to continue speaking out against Trump and holding him accountable for his more controversial actions.
In his address, Kimmel candidly stated about his country: “I do know what’s going on over here though, and I can tell you that, from a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year.
“Tyranny is booming over here. You may have read in your colorful newspapers, my country’s President would like to shut me up because I don’t adore him in the way he likes to be adored.”
Kimmel then referred to his own cancellation earlier this year when he was controversially taken off the air following remarks he made after Charlie Kirk’s death.
He mentioned: “The American government made a threat against me and the company I work for, and all of a sudden we were off the air. But then, you know what happened? A Christmas miracle happened. Well, it was September, it was a September miracle. But the holiday does seem to come earlier and earlier every year, doesn’t it?
“Millions and millions of people stood up and said, ‘No, this is not acceptable.’ People who never watched my show, people who were on record saying they hate my show spoke out, they marched, they did this all to support the right to a free expression of speech and because so many people spoke out, we came back.”
“Our show came back stronger than ever. We won, the President lost and now I’m back on the air every night givin’ the most powerful politician on earth a right and richly deserved b——g. That’s a word, right, I used it properly?”
He went on to say, “And the reason I’m telling you this story is because maybe you’re thinking: ‘Oh a government silencing its critics is something that happens in places like Russia, or North Korea, or LA, not the UK’. Well, that’s what we thought and now we’ve got King Donny the Eighth calling for executions. It happens fast.”
“Here in the United States right now we are both figuratively and literally tearing down the structures of our democracy. From the free press, to science, to medicine, to judicial independence, to the actual White House itself, we are a right mess. And we know this is also affecting you, and I just wanted to say sorry. And we want you to know or, at least I want you to know, that we’re not all like him. We’re not all like that.”
Despite the grim picture painted, Kimmel ended on a somewhat hopeful note by concluding: “We are not bright. We’re Americans. No one knows better than you we’re always just a little bit late to the game, but do we come through in the end? Maybe. Give us about three years. Please. Thank you for your patience, and thank you for Spider-Man. Merry Christmas, and happy holidays.”
This pointed message is not the first time Kimmel has clashed with Trump, as the two have frequently been at odds due to their significantly different political opinions.
In September, ABC temporarily canceled his talk show after controversial comments he made following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, an action that Trump celebrated.
In his monologue at the time, Kimmel criticized the ‘MAGA gang’ for ‘desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them’, while also alleging that they had tried to ‘score political points from it.’
This led to a temporary cancellation of Kimmel’s show, sparking widespread protests from various segments of the public over issues of censorship and freedom of speech.
Eventually, his show was reinstated.