Jimmy Kimmel has clapped back at President Donald Trump’s low-ratings diss, saying that if that were the case, then they should both be unemployed. During Thursday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! opening monologue, the late-night host, 58, fired back at Trump’s latest retort, demanding to know when ABC plans to take action against Kimmel over his recent “widow” joke about First Lady Melania Trump.
“When is ABC Fake News Network firing seriously unfunny Jimmy Kimmel, who incompetently presides over one of the Lowest Rated shows on Television? People are angry. It better be soon!!!” Trump wrote Thursday morning on Truth Social.
Responding to the president’s jab later that night, the comedian said: “Or what? If incompetently presiding over not just one of but the lowest rating in history is the reason I should be fired, then we should both be out of a job!” he quipped. “You’re not doing too good either!”
The exchange comes after Trump demanded ABC fire Kimmel over a joke made about Melania Trump during the White House Correspondents' Dinner, where Kimmel referred to her as a “widow” in a quip about her husband's legal troubles. Kimmel has since defended the joke as satire, while Trump continues to press for action.
Kimmel's ratings have been a point of contention, with the show averaging around 1.5 million viewers nightly, placing it behind competitors like Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon. However, Kimmel's pointed response highlights the ongoing feud between the comedian and the president, which has intensified in recent months.
