Jimmy Kimmel Calls for Trump to “Step Down” after “Lowest Rated Kennedy Center Honors” Ever

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The ongoing public feud between the President and Jimmy Kimmel continued this week on Kimmel’s talk show. Kimmel focused on the President’s low TV ratings from the Kennedy Center Honors broadcast in early December 2025, noting a 25% drop in viewers compared to the previous year. Nielsen data shows the ceremony averaged 3.01 million viewers, down from 4.1 million in 2024.

Before Donald Trump, no sitting president had ever hosted the Kennedy Center Honors. He was so interested in the event that he even tried to rename it to include his own name, which caused a lot of disagreement. The 2025 honorees were George Strait, Sylvester Stallone, the band KISS, Michael Crawford, and Gloria Gaynor.

Here’s exactly how Kimmel reacted to Trump’s broadcasting nightmare:

He hosted the Kennedy Center Honors over the break, and it didn’t go well. After confidently predicting high ratings and claiming he’d be a better host than me, Trump actually presided over the lowest-rated telecast in the show’s history.

Wow, that intern must have had a terrible job removing that headline from every newspaper! As I remember, he promised to resign if it happened. He actually said he didn’t deserve to be president if he couldn’t win against Jimmy Kimmel. Well, he made a promise, so it looks like he’s heading back to Mar-a-Lago.

Jimmy Kimmel’s Heartfelt Thanks to Donald Trump at Critics’ Choice Awards


NBC

This happened right after Jimmy Kimmel publicly thanked Donald Trump for helping boost his show’s popularity at the Critics’ Choice Awards, where Jimmy Kimmel Live! won the award for Best Talk Show. Essentially, when the show was briefly taken off the air last September, it seemed like everyone in Hollywood protested the decision. This created a lot of buzz, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! came back even more popular just six days later.

We’re incredibly grateful to President Trump, without whose efforts we wouldn’t have had such a successful night. Thank you, Mr. President, even for all the unexpected things you do. It’s been a remarkable few weeks, and we’re excited to discuss it all when we’re back on the air tomorrow night.

Jimmy Kimmel also used his alternative Christmas message to acknowledge the incredible support his show received after his emotional segment about his son’s health.

Suddenly, our broadcast was cut off. Immediately, millions of viewers – even people who didn’t normally watch, or even disliked, the show – protested. They spoke out, marched, and rallied in support of free speech, and because of their incredible response, we were able to return to the air.

Honestly, I’m thrilled our show is back and better than ever. It feels amazing to have won, especially after everything – and let’s just say the former president didn’t fare so well! Now I’m back on TV every night, and it’s incredibly satisfying to give the most powerful person in the world a well-deserved dressing-down. I hope I used that word correctly, though!

The 58-year-old also stated that, in his opinion, the White House is currently in disarray, and that America’s freedom of the press, scientific community, medical field, and legal system are all suffering. Kimmel then apologized for the situation, saying he wanted to assure the audience that not everyone shares the views of the person he was referencing.

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2026-01-07 14:51