Jimmy Kimmel has said he regrets apologising for a 2013 segment in which a child suggested killing everyone in China to solve the national debt, claiming he did so under pressure from his employer, Disney. In an interview with Vulture, the late-night host said he took “that bullet for the good of the Disney company”.
Kimmel, 58, has issued apologies for other controversies, including blackface impressions of Oprah Winfrey and NBA player Karl Malone in the 1990s, but said he does not consider apologising a defeat, likening it to Catholic confession. However, he expressed regret over the China joke apology, which drew protests at the time.
The host was suspended by ABC for a week last September after comments about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kimmel said he pushed back against the idea of apologising for something he did not believe crossed a line, stating, “I can’t do this show if I’m going to be micromanaged.”
Kimmel has frequently clashed with President Donald Trump, most recently over a joke about Melania Trump having the “glow of an expectant widow” before an attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Kimmel said Disney did not require an apology, only that he “respond and move on.” He later argued the joke was misinterpreted and was not a call to violence.
