Jimmy Kimmel used a Christmas Day broadcast in the U.K. to unload on President Donald Trump, declaring that “tyranny is booming” in the United States.
The late-night host delivered the remarks during Channel 4’s Alternative Christmas Message, a deliberately provocative counter to the annual address by King Charles III.
Kimmel told British viewers that “from a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year,” using the UK platform to escalate his long-running feud with the Trump administration.
The address aired less than two hours after the King’s speech and was marketed by Channel 4 as an intentionally political alternative.
“You may have read in your colorful newspapers my country’s president would like to shut me up because I don’t adore him in the way he likes to be adored,” Kimmel said.
He accused the U.S. government of trying to silence him and claimed political pressure led to his temporary removal from the airwaves.
“The American government made a threat against me and the company I work for, and all of a sudden, we were off the air,” Kimmel told viewers.
Kimmel framed his return to television as a personal victory over Trump. “We won, the president lost,” he said.
He mocked the President as “King Donny VIII” and warned that authoritarianism can take hold faster than people expect.
“Well, that’s what we thought, and now we’ve got King Donny the Eighth calling for executions. It happens fast,” Kimmel said.
The remarks referenced comments Trump made last month when he said Democratic lawmakers encouraging service members to refuse unlawful orders engaged in “seditious behavior, punishable by death.”
Democrats condemned the statement, while the White House said Trump was not literally calling for executions but did not walk back the language.
Kimmel also addressed the controversy that led to his show being briefly suspended in September after comments he made following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
ABC’s parent company Disney pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for roughly a week amid backlash from advertisers, affiliates and conservative activists, per the New York Post.
Kimmel told British viewers that public pressure forced the network to reverse course. “Millions and millions of people stood up and said: ‘No, this is not acceptable,’” he claimed.
He called his return a “September miracle” and said support came even from people who dislike his show.
“And the reason I’m telling you this story is because maybe you’re thinking a government silencing its critics is something that happens in places like Russia,” Kimmel said. “Well, that’s what we thought.”
The suspension ultimately ended with Disney extending Kimmel’s contract through 2027, signaling corporate backing despite the political fallout.
Kimmel closed by apologizing to the U.K. for exporting American political chaos. “We’re not all like him,” he said, referring to Trump. “We’re going through a bit of a wobble right now, but we’ll come around.”
