Jimmy Kimmel slams Trump in scathing Christmas Day message, says 'he tried to silence me'
LONDON, ENGLAND: Late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel aimed at President Donald Trump in a Christmas Day appearance on the British channel, using the platform to criticise the president’s leadership and raise concerns about the political direction of the United States. Kimmel used the opportunity to warn the UK audience about the political climate of US.
Jimmy Kimmel says Donald Trump tried to silence him
Referring to ABC network’s decision to suspend 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' following the host’s remarks about Charlie Kirk, Kimmel said the situation unfolded because Trump 'would like to shut me up because I don’t adore him in the way he likes to be adored.'
He added, “The American government made a threat against me and the company I work for, and all of a sudden we were off the air.”
Talking about the show’s return on September 23, he called it 'a September Christmas miracle,' and credited the 'millions and millions of people' who spoke out against the decision to suspend the show.
“People who never watched my show, people who were on record saying they hate my show spoke out, they marched, they did this all to support the right to a free expression of speech,” Kimmel said on the broadcast. “And because so many people spoke out, we came back. Our show came back stronger than ever.”
He added, “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.”
Jimmy Kimmel warns against government censorship
Kimmel addressed the viewers, warning that government censorship can happen anywhere, not just in countries like North Korea. “That’s what we thought, and now we’ve got King Donny the Eighth calling for executions,” he joked. “It happens fast.”
Quipping that Americans 'have nothing against England’s king, just a problem with the guy who thinks he’s our king,' Kimmel said that the United States is 'figuratively and literally tearing down the structures of our democracy.'
“From the free press, to science, to medicine, to judicial independence, to the actual White House itself, we are a right mess. And we know this is also affecting you, and I just wanted to say sorry,” he said. “And we want you to know, or at least I want you to know, that we’re not all like him. We’re not all like that.”
Jimmy Kimmel urges viewers not to give up on America
Referring to the film 'Hamilton', Kimmel acknowledged that America and England 'didn’t start off on the greatest note,' but said films like 'Love Actually' remind him that the two countries share 'a special relationship.'
“We’re going through a bit of a wobble right now, but we’ll come around,” he said, urging viewers not to give up on America. “It may not seem like it, but we love you guys. We even love the things about you that you don’t like, like Simon Cowell, for instance.”
He concluded by saying America needs 'about three years' to work through its challenges and thanked British viewers for their patience. “Thank you for Spider-Man. Merry Christmas, and happy holidays.”
