Key Point Summary โ Jimmy Kimmel Teases Flight Plan
- Jimmy Kimmel says he secured Italian citizenship as a โbackupโ
- Comments came after Trump claimed Kimmel is โnext to be canceledโ
- Kimmel blasted both Trumpโs rhetoric and โloudโ left-wing cancel culture
- Fox Newsโ Greg Gutfeld unexpectedly praised Kimmelโs stance
- Late-night industry reeling after Colbertโs sudden cancellation
Kimmel Drops Citizenship Bombshell
Jimmy Kimmel just revealed heโs got an escape hatch โ and itโs stamped โItaly.โ On the Sarah Silverman Podcast, the 57-year-old late-night host confessed he now holds Italian citizenship, ready to use if Donald Trumpโs presidency becomes too much to bear. โWhatโs going on is as bad as you thought it was gonna be,โ Kimmel said. โItโs so much worse.โ
His revelation followed Trumpโs Oval Office broadside earlier this week, in which the former president declared Kimmel and fellow host Jimmy Fallon were โnextโ to be canceled. โFallon has no talent. Kimmel has no talent,โ Trump told reporters. โTheyโre going to be going.โ
Trumpโs Threat Ignites Late-Night Drama
The timing was explosive. Trumpโs remarks came amid rumors of Howard Sternโs split from Sirius XM, and they landed squarely in the center of an already fragile late-night landscape. Kimmel didnโt just fire back at Trump โ he also turned his sights on what he called the โloudโ left, accusing them of smothering comedy with fear and outrage.
โItโs not the party. Itโs the loud voices that scare people from saying what they believe,โ Kimmel said. He admitted some points from the left were valid, but argued others were โrepulsiveโ enough to push people away entirely.
Woke Backlash And Regret Politics
In a candid exchange, Kimmel and Silverman dissected the online fury aimed at Trump voters who dared to change their minds. Silverman pointed to podcaster Joe Roganโs public criticism of Trumpโs second term โ and the digital storm that followed. Kimmel defended those who backtrack politically. โIf you wanna change your mind, thatโs so hard to do. If you want to admit you were wrongโฆ you are welcome.โ
The conversation hinted at a deeper tension: comedians caught between two culture wars, facing fire from both right and left.
Gutfeldโs Unlikely Olive Branch
In a twist nobody saw coming, Fox News host Greg Gutfeld came to Kimmelโs defense. Appearing on Fallonโs show, Gutfeld praised Kimmelโs willingness to step outside partisan dogma. He even labeled the Fallon-Kimmel connection โthe biggest crossover since the Harlem Globetrotters visited The Golden Girls.โ
While ribbing โThe Viewโ and late-night politics in general, Gutfeld contrasted Fallonโs approach to the rest of the late-night field, crediting him with keeping comedy light rather than ideological.
Industry Turbulence After Colbertโs Fall
The Kimmel-Trump clash comes as the late-night industry faces a shake-up. Stephen Colbertโs show will end next year, with CBS citing low ratings and dwindling profits. But insiders claim pressure from Trump was the real culprit.
Fueling speculation, Paramount recently agreed to a $16 million settlement with Trump over a lawsuit involving alleged deceptive editing of a Kamala Harris interview. Days later, Colbert used the phrase โbig fat bribeโ on air. Within 48 hours, his showโs fate was sealed.
A Potential Domino Effect
Industry watchers fear more hosts could follow Colbertโs path if networks feel political heat or profit dips. For Kimmel, the writing on the wall might explain his Italian backup plan. Itโs not just about avoiding Trumpโs America โ itโs about navigating a shifting, high-stakes entertainment battlefield.
Whatโs Next For Kimmel?
If Trump wins another term, will Kimmel swap Hollywood Boulevard for a Roman piazza? He hasnโt committed publicly, but the hint was enough to set off speculation. One thingโs clear: late-night TV is now more volatile than ever, and the battle lines arenโt drawn neatly down political sides.
For now, Kimmel stays put โ but the Italian passport is ready.