Jimmy Kimmel came back to ABC’s Live! on Tuesday after a two-month break and opened the show by going straight after President Donald Trump, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, and White House aide Natalie Harp.
The monologue leaned hard into Trump material, including jokes about the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the Iran War, Trump’s hair, and his weight, before closing with a Trump-heavy video montage.
“When I left for summer break in the middle of June, the country was a mess. We were at war with Iran at that time. Gas prices were high at that time. Inflation was high. Mitch McConnell was either alive or dead. Nobody seemed to have any idea which,” Kimmel told the studio audience. “The Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool was a big green slop hole. And now, only three months later, I am so pleased to report that thanks to your favorite president, DJ Jazzy Donald, every one of those problems has been solved. We made America great again.”
Kimmel took a jab at Trump’s own claims of progress, saying: “It said on Truth Social, he made America great again. Wait, are you telling me the president of the United States had three full months and spent $20 million and couldn’t even get a pool cleaned?”
He didn’t stop there, mocking Trump’s appearance: “Is it possible to have a midlife crisis at 80 years old? It’s like he’s aging in reverse. He’s our own little Benjamin Glutton.”
Kimmel also went after Trump’s social media habits, saying: “He’s crazier than ever. It almost felt like he was welcoming me back to work. It was like, on Sunday alone, he posted 37 times.”
“I go away for one summer. He does enough crazy stuff to fill a whole ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ parody song, which I am pleased to announce I will not be singing for you,” Kimmel said. “You know, sometimes I feel like he waits until I’m on vacation to do the really dumb stuff.”
The return came just hours after reports surfaced that ABC plans to end Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2027.
During Kimmel’s absence, fill-in hosts Rosie O’Donnell and Jelly Roll drew national attention for their own steady stream of criticism aimed at Trump and Republicans.
