Jimmy Kimmel delivered a pointed critique of President Donald Trump’s administration in his Channel 4 Christmas broadcast, declaring Thursday that “from a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year” for Trump’s presidency.
The address, which Kimmel described as an “alternative Christmas message,” warned that tyranny is “booming over here” and the United States is “tearing down the structures of our democracy from the free press to science to medicine to judicial independence to the actual White House itself.”
Kimmel referenced his return to “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after ABC suspended it in September following criticism of his remarks about conservative leader Charlie Kirk’s killing. He stated that millions of Americans, including some who had previously criticized him, defended free speech during that controversy.
“We won, the president lost, and now I’m back on the air every night giving the most powerful politician on earth a right and richly deserved bollocking,” Kimmel said in his address.
The comedian also highlighted Trump’s recent celebration of the suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” as “great news for America” and criticized the administration’s actions, including the demolition of the White House East Wing. He urged British audiences to maintain their relationship with the U.S., noting: “We are a right mess, and we know this is also affecting you, and I just wanted to say sorry.”
Kimmel’s broadcast followed Channel 4’s tradition of airing alternative Christmas messages since 1993, which have previously included appearances by whistleblowers like Edward Snowden and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The show returned to the air less than a week after ABC suspended it in September due to Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s shooting.
