Jimmy Kimmel has never been one to hold back when it comes to criticizing former President Donald Trump, and his latest segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live! was no exception. The late-night host took aim at Trump after a particularly awkward and insensitive moment during a meeting with Japan’s first-ever female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi.
During the March 19 broadcast of his show, Kimmel addressed the incident, which occurred in the Oval Office earlier that day. He opened by commenting on how U.S. leaders often make visitors uncomfortable, but this time, it was “a new level of discomfort.”
Kimmel played a clip of the conversation between Trump and Takaichi, who appeared visibly uneasy as the former president made a controversial remark. The exchange took place when Trump was asked about why he didn’t inform U.S. allies in Europe and Asia about recent U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran.
Trump responded by saying, “You don’t want to signal too much, you know?” He then added, “When we go in, we went in very hard, and we didn’t tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor? You believe in surprise, I think much more so than us.”
The audience gasped as Kimmel shook his head in disbelief. He quipped, “I guess we should be grateful he didn’t do an accent?” He continued, “What is going on through that orange head of his?” Kimmel joked that everything Trump knows about Pearl Harbor likely comes from a movie starring Ben Affleck.
This wasn’t the first time Kimmel has taken shots at Trump on his show. The comedian has frequently criticized the former president for his rhetoric and behavior. In response, Trump has often taken to his Truth Social account to attack TV hosts, calling them out for “horrible ratings” and “gigantic salaries.”
Trump’s recent comments targeted network coverage of the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, extending his criticism to include comedians and media institutions. He praised FCC Chairman Brendan Carr for “looking at the licenses” of broadcasters accused of “abusing FREE American Airwaves” and “perpetuat[ing] LIES.” He specifically called out what he referred to as “the Late Night Morons.”
However, Trump’s claim that late-night TV has “horrible ratings” doesn’t seem to align with the data. According to a LateNighter analysis of Nielsen Live+3 ratings, CBS’ The Late Show With Stephen Colbert averaged 2.43 million viewers for the week of March 1, marking a 1 percent increase overall and a 5 percent rise in the key 18–49 demographic.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Kimmel Live! drew 2.28 million viewers, up 5 percent from the previous week. The show also led in the key demo with 263,000 viewers. These numbers suggest that despite Trump’s claims, late-night television remains a strong platform for entertainment and commentary.
As the political landscape continues to shift, figures like Kimmel will likely remain vocal in their critiques of public figures, using humor and satire to highlight issues of concern. Whether or not these comments influence public opinion remains to be seen, but they certainly keep the conversation alive.
