Jimmy Kimmel, the late-night host, featured just one Republican guest on his show during a period marked by notable critiques over the last four years.
This past week, before being taken off the air for a period, he had 13 guests who leaned left after a conservative figure, Charlie Kirk, was reportedly targeted by an assassin claiming connections to a 57-year-old magazine supporter.
Kimmel’s humor directed at conservatives has noticeably increased, with a spike in targeted jokes—from 88% in 2023 to 97% this year, as reported by a group tracking his material.
In 2025 alone, he launched 1,128 jokes aimed at former President Donald Trump. Following Trump, his next main targets were Elon Musk, a former adviser, and war secretary Pete Hegses, with 154 and 71 jokes against them, respectively.
In contrast, Joe Biden—the leading Democrat in Kimmel’s repertoire—only found himself on the receiving end of 26 jokes, according to the same review.
Since returning from his summer break on September 2, Kimmel has spent about 90 minutes during nine episodes criticizing Trump in his monologues, as noted in a post-analysis.
Kimmel, who has helmed the ABC show since 2003, mentioned, “It feels like it’s all about the left now, and honestly, it’s becoming a bit dull.”
Some have labeled his comedy as lacking, suggesting that his rhetoric often stirs animosity.
Roger Stone, a veteran political adviser to Trump, shared his thoughts, saying, “Kimmel’s major flaw is that he lacks humor and generates hatred. He shouldn’t be ignored.”
The one Republican guest he had made a point, suggesting that four years later it feels like humiliation is somehow required for air time.
Mypillow CEO Mike Lindell, a longtime Trump supporter and significant Republican donor, appeared on Kimmel’s show in 2023 under unusual circumstances; he agreed to do the entire interview inside a claw machine as he hadn’t been vaccinated. Kimmel noted that Lindell found it “hilarious.”
Kimmel had remarked during that episode, “Among the vibrant characters during Trump’s tenure, our next guest is probably the most animated.”
Former NYC Councilman Joe Borelli referred to data from Newsbusters, asserting that it proves Kimmel has become a “liberal hack” whose humor has fallen flat.
“Kimmel seems to have turned into a whimsical, high-minded liberal, which, as his ratings show, has turned off even casual viewers,” he added.
In August 2025, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” saw viewership drop to just 1.1 million, a significant decline from 1.95 million in January, trailing behind other late-night shows according to Nielsen ratings.
Kiersten Pels, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, criticized Kimmel for leveraging his career while claiming, “Democrats are now more outraged about billionaires erasing ABC jobs than the actual cold-blooded murder of Charlie Kirk. That says a lot.”
Newsbusters highlighted a notable political imbalance in the guest line-ups across various late-night programs, tracking 511 guests with liberal or Democratic affiliations compared to merely 14 representing conservatives from September to June 2022.
Recently, CBS canceled Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show,” citing financial issues.
Curtis Houck from Newsbusters called “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” purely a “partisan affair.” He continued, “For someone who presents himself as a kind and sincere person, his brand of so-called comedy is quite the opposite.”
Kimmel was particularly vocal in a recent episode, criticizing what he referred to as political exploitation following Kirk’s tragic incident, stating, “We hit a new low this weekend, with these groups trying to depict this individual as detached from responsibility.”
On Wednesday, ABC announced it would suspend the show “indefinitely.”
This suspension ignited debates around free speech and governmental reach, with Vice President JD Vance expressing skepticism over the underlying reasons.
Vance stated, “Kimmel’s humor has missed the mark; his ratings have plummeted, and advertisers are pulling back.” He suggested that free speech concerns from the left were somewhat hypocritical, given past issues surrounding Biden’s health during the 2024 campaign.
Senator Nicole Malliotakis mentioned to the press, “This isn’t just about free speech; it’s about keeping the audience and reputation intact. Politically biased shows are struggling, and that’s why Kimmel has seen nearly a million viewers disappear over the last decade.”
