American late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel spoke to the British people through their tellies on Christmas Day, telling them that from a “fascism perspective,” the United States is in great condition and that “tyranny is booming.”
His comments were driven by his disdain for President Donald Trump and the direction the administration is taking the United States.
Kimmel’s brief monologue was broadcast on Channel 4 UK, a channel that annually features a prominent figure to provide a contrasting perspective to the monarch’s yearly televised Christmas address.
“Here in the United States right now, we are both 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,” he told viewers.
Kimmel, who is the host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” was chosen by the European broadcasting company in part for the controversial spotlight he found himself in a few months ago, when his show was suspended for comments he made surrounding conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination on Sept. 10.
His comments, made in September, insinuated that Kirk’s murder was connected to the Make America Great Again movement:
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel had said, adding that the “MAGA gang” was trying to “score political points” from Kirk’s death.
Trump celebrated the suspension of Kimmel, calling it “great news for America” — though his joy was short-lived.
Kimmel’s show was indefinitely suspended, but that only lasted a week before he returned to the air, giving a tearful 18-minute monologue.
A Channel 4 UK spokesperson said Kimmel was chosen because “Donald Trump’s return to the White House and wide ranging impact on the world has been the story of 2025 and it would be hard to think of a better person to address it than Jimmy Kimmel, who has found himself on the frontline of America’s battle over free speech,” per a press release.
Kimmel told British viewers not to give up on America and even apologized for the ways they may have been affected by Trump’s second term. “I want you to know that we’re not all like him, we’re not all like that,” Kimmel said. “It may not seem like it, but we love you guys.”
Kimmel’s comments received mixed reactions, but no one seemed suprised that he made it about his dislike for the commander-in-chief.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told USA Today, “Reacting to Jimmy Kimmel’s ‘Christmas speech’ would require me to watch it, and like many Americans, I didn’t even know it was happening. Jimmy has unfortunately wasted his time — yet again — doing something no one cares to watch. Merry Christmas!”
Some thought the message was rather tone deaf, given that free speech is a controversial topic in the U.K., given the recent arrest of comedian Graham Linehan over anti-trans jokes.
“Jimmy Kimmel goes on UK television to call America a fascist country as the UK is locking up UK citizens for social media posts,” one X user wrote, calling Kimmel a “traitor” to the U.S.
Others were frustrated with the insults he targeted at Americans at one point, claiming that “we’re not bright. We’re Americans ... We’re always just a little bit late to the game.”