President Donald Trump has reignited his long-standing public dispute with television host Jimmy Kimmel, using the prestigious Kennedy Centre Honours weekend as his platform. During a formal medal presentation in the Oval Office, Trump delivered a sharp, mocking aside about the late-night comic in front of this year's distinguished honorees.
A Ceremony Transformed and a Personal Jab
Addressing an audience that included Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor, George Strait, the band Kiss, and Michael Crawford, President Trump singled out Kimmel for criticism. "I've watched some of the people that host. Jimmy Kimmel was horrible," Trump stated. He added pointedly, "If I can't beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent then I don't think I should be president."
The remark drew chuckles from many gathered in the room but underscored Trump's increasingly personal campaign against the comedian. The president used the occasion to highlight his unprecedented role in the 2025 honours, telling attendees he was preparing for a State Department event that no president had ever hosted before.
"We never had a president hosting the awards before," Trump said, flanked by the honorees. "This is the first." He continued sarcastically, "I'm sure they'll give me great reviews... They'll say, 'he was horrible. He was terrible. It was a horrible situation.' No, we'll do fine."
Reshaping the Kennedy Centre Honours
Trump's swipe came during a ceremony he has fundamentally reshaped since returning to the White House. After ignoring the Kennedy Centre Honours programme entirely during his first term, Trump has now assumed direct control. He removed the Centre's previous board of trustees, installed Republican allies, and personally selected this year's honorees, calling them "perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class" ever chosen.
During the presentation, the president placed each Tiffany-crafted medallion around the recipients' necks. He praised Stallone as "one of the true, great movie stars," described Gloria Gaynor as the unmatched "disco queen," saluted Crawford as Broadway royalty, and told Strait he could keep his cowboy hat on if he liked.
The celebration was set to climax on Sunday night, with Trump becoming the first president to personally host the televised Kennedy Centre Honours programme. He claimed he agreed to do so "at the request of a certain television network" and predicted, "This will be the highest-rated show that they've ever done."
The Backdrop of the Kimmel Controversy
The context for Trump's latest attack is Kimmel's suspension from ABC earlier this year. The network stated his comments relating to the killing of conservative activist and close Trump ally, Charlie Kirk, had inflamed tensions during a national crisis. Republicans accused Kimmel of suggesting the shooter was part of Trump's political movement—a claim Kimmel said had been "intentionally and, I think, maliciously mischaracterized."
The controversy escalated when FCC Chairman Brendan Carr appeared to threaten the licenses of local affiliates airing the show. Kimmel later called those threats "a direct violation" of the First Amendment and labelled the government's pressure as "un-American" and "dangerous." Two major affiliate groups, Nexstar and Sinclair, initially refused to broadcast Kimmel's return, representing roughly 25% of ABC stations. They relented after Disney defended the suspension as a move to "avoid further inflaming a tense situation."
Upon his return to air, Kimmel vowed not to apologise, thanking supporters and stating, "I hope that we drew a really, really bold red line as Americans about what we will and will not accept." Trump has repeatedly insisted Kimmel lacks the talent and judgment to host a national programme, part of a broader campaign against comedians he accuses of unfair political attacks. He has privately and publicly pushed networks to remove several late-night hosts, calling their criticism "illegal" and demanding consequences.
