Trump Critiques Jimmy Kimmel at Kennedy Center Honors

During a recent event honoring the Kennedy Center Award recipients in the Oval Office, former President Donald Trump took another jab at late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. Addressing reporters, he reflected on the upcoming gala. “I’m sure they’re going to give me great reviews, right? They’ll say, ‘He was terrible. It was a terrible situation,'” he commented, expressing skepticism about their opinions. “But I think it’ll work out. I’ve seen some hosts, and honestly, Kimmel was terrible. If I can’t outshine him in terms of talent, maybe I shouldn’t be president.”

Kimmel’s show faced a temporary suspension due to remarks he made that seemed to link a murder suspect, Charlie Kirk, with the MAGA crowd. The announcement came from ABC and Disney in September, citing his misleading comments.

This year’s Kennedy Center Honors saw an impressive $23 million raised during its 48th annual gala, marking the highest fundraising achievement for the event, which has celebrated lifetime artistic contributions since 1978. Noteworthy honorees this year included characters like Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, and the famous rock band Kiss.

Even though Kennedy Center honorees have visited the Oval Office before, this marked Trump’s first official on-camera awards ceremony. It was an event where he introduced each recipient ahead of the gala.

Kimmel, who has never been the official host for the Kennedy Center Honors, notably attended a ceremony honoring David Letterman in 2012. He’s also taken the stage for the Academy and Emmy Awards before.

On a recent Thursday, Kimmel humorously acknowledged Trump as one of Google’s top trends during his monologue, pointing out the president’s habitual attention-seeking behavior.

Kimmel has mentioned before that none of his success would be possible without viewers like Trump, humorously thanking him for boosting his profile this year. He humorously noted that he ranked third behind musician “d4vd” and Kendrick Lamar.

The late-night host has poked fun at Trump’s remarks on social media, which often included calling him “talentless” and questioning his position on the air.