- Trump demanded ABC fire Jimmy Kimmel after Kimmel's 10-minute Epstein monologue tied the president to Jeffrey Epstein, calling for cancellation on Truth Social.
- Kimmel fired back with biting sarcasm and viral comebacks, framing Trump as a "snowflake" and turning the showdown into a cultural flashpoint.
In the swirling chaos of what’s being dubbed “Hurricane Epstein,” President Donald Trump’s simmering feud with the media boiled over this week, zeroing in on one of late-night television’s sharpest wits: Jimmy Kimmel.
What started as a blistering 10-minute monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live! tying Trump to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has snowballed into a full-throated presidential demand for the comedian’s ouster from ABC. Trump, throwing yet another of his common tantrums.
But Kimmel, ever the quick-draw, turned the tables with a response that’s already lighting up social media and drawing cheers from critics of the administration.
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The timing couldn’t be more explosive.
Just days ago, both chambers of Congress voted to release long-sealed correspondence and files from Epstein’s notorious orbit—a move that has riveted the nation and reignited scrutiny over high-profile figures who once mingled in his world, including Trump.
Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges, maintained deep ties to the elite, from Wall Street titans to Hollywood stars.
Trump, who once called Epstein a “terrific guy” in a 2002 interview, has repeatedly dismissed any suggestion of wrongdoing, but the fresh documents have fueled a media firestorm.
Kimmel’s Monologue: A Watergate Riff for the #MeToo Era
It was Wednesday night, November 19, when Kimmel unleashed his takedown.
Opening his show with unfiltered candor, the host dove headfirst into the Epstein saga, framing it as an inevitable storm barreling toward Washington.
“We are carefully following the path of Hurricane Epstein right now,” Kimmel quipped, his trademark smirk barely masking the gravity.
“It is a category 5, it’s expected to make landfall very soon.”
For nearly 10 minutes, Kimmel dissected the week’s developments, blending biting satire with pointed questions about accountability.
He riffed on the famous Watergate query from Sen. Howard Baker Jr.—”What did the president know, and when did he know it?”—twisting it into a gut-punch for the Trump era: “We are one step closer to answering the question, what did the president know and how old were these women when he knew it?”
The line, delivered with a mix of outrage and dark humor, elicited roars from the studio audience and quickly went viral, racking up millions of views across platforms.
Kimmel didn’t stop there.
He lampooned Trump’s recent Oval Office dust-up with ABC News chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce, who had grilled the president on the Epstein files during a Tuesday presser.
Trump’s response? Calling Bruce a “terrible reporter” with a bad “attitude,” and later snapping at a Bloomberg journalist, Catherine Lucey, with the now-infamous barb: “Quiet, piggy.”
Kimmel seized on the hypocrisy, mocking how the commander-in-chief, who prides himself on tough-guy bravado, unravels at the slightest prod.
The monologue wasn’t just comedy—it was a cultural bellwether.
In an era where late-night TV has evolved from lighthearted sketches to outright political theater, Kimmel’s segment underscored the growing chasm between Trump’s White House and the press.
Viewers tuned in by the millions; Jimmy Kimmel Live! saw a 15% ratings bump in the key 18-49 demographic, bucking the host’s recent dips amid cord-cutting trends.
Trump’s Midnight Missive: “Get the Bum Off the Air!”
Trump, never one to let a slight simmer, fired back almost before the credits rolled.
At 12:49 a.m. Eastern on Thursday—mere minutes after the East Coast feed signed off—the president took to Truth Social, his digital megaphone of choice.
“Why does ABC Fake News keep Jimmy Kimmel, a man with NO TALENT and VERY POOR TELEVISION RATINGS, on the air?” he fumed.
“Why do the TV Syndicates put up with it? Also, totally biased coverage. Get the bum off the air!!!”
The post was vintage Trump: all caps, personal venom, and a nod to local ABC affiliates (the “syndicates”) that have occasionally pushed back against Kimmel’s edgier content.
It’s not the first time; just two months ago, after Kimmel’s offhand remarks following the assassination of GOP activist Charlie Kirk, affiliates like Nexstar and Sinclair briefly yanked his show, prompting a short ABC suspension that ended in public backlash and a ratings surge upon his return.
But this felt personal.
The Epstein angle struck a nerve, especially as the files’ release loomed.
Trump’s administration has already unleashed a 17-point screed against ABC News, branding it a “Democrat spin operation masquerading as a broadcast network.”
Grievances ranged from George Stephanopoulos’s coverage of the E. Jean Carroll defamation case (settled by Disney for $15 million) to fact-checks during the 2024 debate.
Now, with FCC Chair Brendan Carr—a Trump ally—hinting at reviews of network-affiliate deals, the pressure feels like a coordinated squeeze.
Kimmel’s Counterpunch: “I’ll Go When You Go”
By Thursday’s show, Kimmel had transformed victimhood into victory.
Waking to the tweet storm, he recounted the absurdity with deadpan flair: “I woke up this morning, I’m in bed. My wife comes out of the bathroom. She’s got her phone. She goes, ‘Um, Trump tweeted you should be fired again.’ I was like, ‘Oh.’ And then I went downstairs and made bagels for the kids.”
He leaned into the pettiness, calling Trump a “snowflake” who “flips out and wants me fired” every five weeks.
“If you got this many threats from a neighbor, you’d have no problem getting a restraining order. The judge would be like, ‘Yeah, sounds like the guy’s nuts.’”
Noting the post’s timing—”11 minutes after the show ended on the East Coast”—Kimmel waved cheekily: “Hi, Mr. President! How are you? Thanks for watching us on TV instead of on YouTube… It’s viewers like you who keep us on the air, ironically.”
The mic-drop came with a proposition laced in sarcasm: “Mr. President, I admire your tenacity. If you’re watching tonight, which I presume you are, how about this: I’ll go when you go, OK? We’ll be a team. Let’s ride off into the sunset together like Butch Cassidy and the Suntan Kid. And until then, if I may borrow a phrase from you: Quiet, piggy.”
The “Suntan Kid” jab? A nod to Trump’s infamous complexion, landing like a velvet hammer.
Ripples Across the Airwaves and X
The exchange has electrified late-night’s anti-Trump brigade.
Over the weekend, Trump turned his ire on NBC’s Seth Meyers, blasting him with “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and demanding his immediate firing.
Meyers shrugged it off Monday: “Being attacked by the president… doesn’t make me special… I was simply on the same shit list as Christopher Wray, James Comey,” and a rogue’s gallery of Republicans.
On X, reactions poured in like aftershocks.
Supporters decried Kimmel as a “hack,” echoing Trump’s talent slam, while detractors hailed the host as a truth-teller.
One viral post from @MDouglas89230 shared a Palmer Report piece: “Jimmy Kimmel just destroyed Donald Trump,” quoting the “Hurricane Epstein” line.
Another, from @SAMC1945, cheered: “‘Talk About A Snowflake’: Jimmy Kimmel Just DRAGGED Donald Trump, And People Are Applauding His Comebacks.”
Even Trump voters sounded notes of caution; @ncoicmpi advised: “YOU said ref Epstein ‘Don’t fall for the trap’ THEN… call for his firing… Please STFU!”
ABC, caught in the crossfire, has stayed mum, letting its on-air talent do the talking.
On Good Morning America, Robin Roberts gave a shoutout to Bruce: “Thank you for your willingness to ask these types of questions” in “extremely challenging times.”
Behind the scenes, though, executives are wary.
With Kimmel’s contract up in May and FCC scrutiny looming, the network’s entertainment arm—separate from its news division—faces a delicate dance.
The Bigger Storm: Epstein’s Shadow Over Trump’s Second Term
At its core, this isn’t just about one comedian.
The Epstein files, expected to drop imminently, could unearth uncomfortable truths about Trump’s past socializing with the disgraced mogul.
Flight logs show Trump on Epstein’s plane multiple times in the ’90s; a 1992 video captures them ogling women at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump banned Epstein from the club in 2007 over alleged misconduct, but the association lingers like a bad aftertaste.
As “Hurricane Epstein” gathers force, Trump’s media skirmishes look less like bluster and more like deflection.
Critics, including White House press corps allies, see it as an authoritarian playbook: bully the messengers to bury the message.
Kimmel, for his part, embodies the resistance—funny, fearless, and unflinching.
Also Read: A DOJ Whistleblower Now Makes Revelation That Undermines the Judicial System’s Integrity
