Jimmy Kimmel’s brand has long been a blend of smug political jabs and forced celebrity banter, but now, after a short suspension and a brush with actual accountability, the late-night host is offering a curious twist: he says he wants Donald Trump on his show. Yes, that Donald Trump — the man he’s mocked nightly, the man he accused of destroying democracy, and the man whose supporters he routinely ridicules.
“I’d love to have Trump on the show, for sure,” Kimmel told Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw at the “Bloomberg Screentime” event. “Alright, I’ll ask him.” The comment comes just weeks after Kimmel’s show was briefly suspended following controversial remarks about a suspect in a shooting incident involving Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk. Those comments sparked backlash and even legal threats from FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr — someone Kimmel says he has no interest in interviewing.
So, let’s unpack this.
First, the invitation to Trump is more theater than sincerity. Kimmel knows that inviting Trump onto his show guarantees headlines. It’s an attempt to look open-minded, even as his entire persona for the last seven years has been built on mocking not only Trump but anyone who dared to vote for him. Kimmel spent the Trump years sneering from behind a Hollywood-backed desk, calling red-state Americans everything but human. Now he wants a sit-down? Please.
Second, Kimmel’s sudden self-awareness tour — where he admits he can be “reactionary,” “aggressive,” and “unpleasant” — rings hollow. These aren’t private traits he’s confessing in a moment of humility. They’re the cornerstone of his late-night shtick. His apology tour seems more focused on salvaging his career than addressing the substance of his recent controversy. And it’s notable that he credits Disney executives like Dana Walden and Bob Iger for helping him “think everything through,” as though he needed a corporate pep talk to remember basic decency.
Let’s not forget what got him suspended in the first place. His remarks about the shooting suspect and Charlie Kirk were so inflammatory that they triggered legal threats and corporate damage control. Even Disney — which has tolerated a lot under Kimmel’s watch — had to hit the brakes. And Trump, unsurprisingly, didn’t miss the moment. “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back,” Trump posted. “His audience is GONE, and his ‘talent’ was never there.”
Brutal, yes. But not inaccurate.
Kimmel’s ratings have lagged. The cultural relevance of late-night TV has cratered in the post-Trump era, and Kimmel himself has become more activist than entertainer. His show has gone from lighthearted escapism to a platform for progressive talking points, often at the expense of half the country.
So now, by floating the idea of inviting Trump on, Kimmel wants to look magnanimous. But make no mistake: it’s not an olive branch — it’s bait. He knows Trump’s presence would spike ratings, draw media buzz, and possibly give his sagging show one last shot of relevance.
