Comedian and late night TV host Jimmy Kimmel mockingly thanked President Donald Trump during an award acceptance speech on Sunday, several months after their feud reached new heights.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! was briefly suspended in September following Kimmel’s controversial remarks on Charlie Kirk’s assassin, claiming “the MAGA gang” is trying to distance itself from Kirk’s killer. Kimmel won best talk series during the 2026 Critics Choice Awards on Sunday night, and he joked he would’ve preferred a “FIFA peace prize” instead, digging at an award the president received in December.
“Most of all I wanna thank our president, Donald Jennifer Trump. Without whom, we’d be going home empty-handed tonight,” Kimmel said in his acceptance speech, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “So thank you, Mr. President, for all the many ridiculous things you do each and every day. It’s been a banner couple of weeks, and we can’t wait to get back on the air tomorrow night to talk about them.”
Kimmel also thanked actors and producers who supported his show after its suspension, saying they “reminded us that we do not take free speech for granted.”
Kimmel’s suspension lasted a little less than a week, returning on Sept. 23. The late night host acknowledged Kirk’s widow, Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk, during his opening monologue, saying Kirk forgiving her husband’s assassin during his funeral was “a very beautiful moment,” and said people should “follow” her example.
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Kimmel also addressed the future of late night television during his acceptance speech, joking that Sean Evans and his talk show Hot Ones will be “the only one left.” Kimmel’s prediction comes a month after his own show got renewed through May 2027.
While Kimmel’s show will continue for at least another year, the same cannot be said for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which created headlines when it announced last year it will conclude in May. Like Kimmel, host Stephen Colbert is a vocal critic of the president, and said after the cancellation “the gloves are off” until the show ends.