The ongoing war of words between late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel and former U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated once again. The conflict reignited after Trump demanded that ABC fire Kimmel, prompting a characteristically sharp and humorous retort from the four-time Emmy winner.
The Spark That Lit the Fire
The latest chapter in this long-running feud began on Kimmel's show, where he questioned why Trump "loses his mind" whenever questioned about the Jeffrey Epstein files. Kimmel highlighted a specific incident where Trump told a female reporter to be "quiet, piggy" after she asked him about Epstein, the late sex offender who was once a friend of the former president.
Kimmel expressed disbelief that the remark had barely made news, comparing it to an over-the-top workplace harassment training video. He also criticized Trump's behaviour during a White House meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom intelligence agencies believe orchestrated the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
After ABC's Mary Bruce asked about the murder, Trump interrupted her, calling her "fake news" and stating that "lot of people didn't like that gentleman that you're talking about." Kimmel mocked bin Salman's statement that his country was "doing our best (to ensure) that this doesn't happen again," quipping that this was something you'd hear from a sandwich shop manager, not regarding a murder.
Trump's Demand and Kimmel's On-Air Response
This mockery prompted a furious response from Trump on his Truth Social platform. In a post made at 12:49 a.m. on November 21, 2025, just minutes after Kimmel's show ended on the East Coast, the former president wrote, "Why does ABC Fake News keep Jimmy Kimmel, a man with NO TALENT and VERY POOR TELEVISION RATINGS, on the air?... Get the bum off the air!!!"
Kimmel addressed the attack directly on his November 21st broadcast. "I'm the bum," he began, before noting the precise timing of Trump's post. "He posted this at 12:49 a.m., 11 minutes after the show ended on the East Coast, which is nice. He watches us live," Kimmel quipped, adding, "It's also sweet that in the middle of the biggest sex scandal in the history of the American presidency, he takes precious time on the toilet to post about our show."
Referencing a previous suspension in September and Trump's past attempts to get him cancelled, Kimmel then made a direct offer to the former president. "If you're watching tonight – which I presume you are – how about this: I'll go when you go," he proposed. "We'll be a team. Let's ride off into the sunset together – like Butch Cassidy and the Suntan Kid. And until then – if I may borrow a phrase from you… quiet, piggy!"
A Feud Years in the Making
The animosity between Kimmel and Trump is not new. Although Trump appeared on Kimmel's show a decade ago, their public dispute dates back to Trump's first term. In 2017, Kimmel criticized Trump's attempts to overhaul the Affordable Care Act. The following year, he accused the president of inaction on gun violence after a mass shooting at a Florida high school.
The conflict intensified in 2023 when Rolling Stone reported that Trump had ordered staffers to formally complain to ABC and its parent company, Disney, about Kimmel's jokes. The feud even spilled onto the stage of the Academy Awards in 2024, when Kimmel, while hosting, read aloud a critical Truth Social post from Trump live on air.
This past summer, after CBS announced the cancellation of Stephen Colbert's late-night show, Trump took another shot, writing, "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired... I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!" The latest exchange confirms that this bitter and very public rivalry is far from over.
