Jimmy Kimmel hands over reins to another staunch Trump foe as he steps back for summer
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jimmy Kimmel may be taking a summer break from his late-night desk, but he's ensuring the show's trademark Trump takedowns don't go on vacation.
The 58-year-old late-night show host closed the curtain on his latest run of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Thursday, June 18, announcing he'll be stepping away for a two-month summer vacation.
However, he gave a ‘special treat’ to fans and the President, revealing that Rosie O’Donnell, a long-time staunch Trump critic, will be joining the long list of guest hosts filling in for him.
Jimmy Kimmel reveals 'special treat' for Trump
During his Thursday monologue, Kimmel put his host duties to rest, telling viewers that he would be away from the ABC late-night show for the summer.
“Well, I hope you’re paying attention this summer because I will be taking the next two months off,” Kimmel said, addressing his sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez. “This time voluntarily.”
The quip appeared to be a nod to the show's brief suspension last year, when ABC temporarily took Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air following criticism from Trump administration officials and conservative commentators over Kimmel's comments after Charlie Kirk's death.
Kimmel then named the guest hosts who will take over during his absence. “But we have assembled a strong group of hosts to fill in for me, beginning with Tiffany Haddish, Colman Domingo, Ike Barinholtz, Anthony Anderson, Jelly Roll,” he noted.
He went on to mention “special treat” for Trump, saying, “I asked one of his all-time favorites, Rosie O’Donnell, to be here to keep the hits coming.”
“And all I ask in return, Mr. President, is that you don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone,” he continued. O’Donnell’s addition brings a political twist to Kimmel’s summer lineup due to her long-standing rivalry with Trump.
Their feud started in 2006 when O’Donnell criticized Trump on The View for his management of the Miss USA pageant. Over the year, the feud has flared up with the one-time TV personality, who moved to Ireland following Trump’s election win, consistently criticising him in interviews and on social media.
Trump has also continued to attack her publicly. Last year, he mentioned considering revoking O’Donnell’s citizenship, a threat that legal experts said he lacked the power to carry out against a native-born American.
Kimmel blasts Trump’s Iran deal as ‘retreat of Versailles’
The announcement came after Kimmel mocked Donald Trump‘s Iran deal as the “Retreaty of Versailles”. “Donald Trump is having a really bad week after this dummy of a deal he signed off on,” he pointed out during his opening monologue.
After reading headlines from Fox News criticizing the president’s move, Kimmel explained, “Trump got a copy of this memorandum of understanding they came up with last night during his dinner with French President Emmanuel Macron. You can see here, he is putting his little Don Hancock the Retreaty of Versailles. Fortunately, that’s the dessert menu he signed. So, he got a macaroon to go. And then he got a big round of applause for, I don’t know what, for accomplishing nothing once again,” the comedian further quipped.
Kimmel kept the satire going, saying, “The deal is, Iran gets billions of dollars, and then we’ll talk about a deal. It’s a deal to make a deal,” before joking, ” It’s hosted by Howie Mandel. It’s gonna be terrific.”
