Following First Lady Melania Trump’s tweets, President Donald Trump has once again called for Jimmy Kimmel to be sacked, taking to Truth Social to declare the late night host “should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC” and claiming that his show has “terrible Television Ratings.” In response, Kimmel drew attention to Trump’s own dismal ratings, with a recent poll showing that his approval has dropped to a record low of 34 percent.
“If incompetently presiding over not just one of, but the lowest rating in history is the reason I should be fired, we should both be out of a job because you’re not doing too good either,” quipped Kimmel.
Talk show audiences have significantly declined over the past 10 years, though Jimmy Kimmel Live is currently poised to top the late night ratings after The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s final episode airs on May 21.
“Isn’t there a war dragging on? Imagine if FDR had taken to the airwaves during the Battle of the Bulge to complain about a Little Orphan Annie comic strip he didn’t like,” Kimmel joked. “Trump has three wars going on right now: Iranians, Ukrainians, and comedians.”
Kimmel then played a supercut of Trump during his campaign for president, in which the billionaire repeatedly declared support for free speech while decrying censorship and “cancel culture.” Kimmel’s show has been repeatedly targeted by Trump’s FCC chair Brendan Carr.
“I hate to say this and I hope it doesn’t get me in trouble: I’m starting to think Donald Trump might be a hypocrite,” said Kimmel.