Late-night audiences got a fresh dose of Jimmy Kimmel’s sharp humor on Wednesday as he launched a blistering attack on former President Donald Trump, calling him a “dumb dumb” and joking about his need for a “walk-in bath.”
The monologue comes less than a month after Kimmel returned to the air following his own suspension over controversial comments about Charlie Kirk.
Targeting Trump’s National Guard Decisions
Kimmel zeroed in on Trump’s recent suggestion to send the National Guard to American cities including Portland, Oregon, and Chicago, Illinois.
Referencing a report from the Daily Beast, which cited independent outlet Zeteo, Kimmel highlighted how Trump aides reportedly worry about Fox News’ influence over the former president.
“Trump officials became concerned when Trump asked if he could get a reverse mortgage on the White House in one of those Terry Bradshaw walk-in tubs,” Kimmel quipped, referencing an old Terry Bradshaw commercial.
Mistaking Old Footage for Current Events
Kimmel didn’t stop there. He joked about reports claiming Trump sent troops to Portland after seeing footage of 2020 Black Lives Matter protests on Fox News, which he allegedly mistook for current events.
Kimmel’s response to the president’s confusion? “Yes, dumb dumb, you are.
You’re on a five-year delay from the rest of us,” he told the studio audience, eliciting laughter and cheers.
He continued, highlighting how dangerous the constant misinformation from Fox News can be, especially since Trump’s inner circle, including Pete Hegseth, Sean Duffy, and Tulsi Gabbard, had all worked at the network.
“It is frightening to know that the President of the United States is being briefed on world events by the same source as everyone at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport Chili’s to-go,” Kimmel added.
Using Humor to Critique Policy
Shifting gears, Kimmel criticized the administration for using alleged chaos in American cities to justify increased military presence.
He showed a montage of viewers filming themselves in Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago, mocking the claims that these cities were in crisis.
Trump has a history of deploying the National Guard for domestic issues, having sent troops to Los Angeles during summer protests against deportations and to Washington DC during a declared “crime emergency.”
Both moves faced intense pushback and lawsuits from state and local authorities, including California and the District of Columbia.
Comedy Peers Join the Mockery
Kimmel’s satire was echoed by other late-night hosts. Stephen Colbert joked about the so-called “battle of Portland,” poking fun at over-the-top narratives, while Jon Stewart mocked the notion that Portland was under siege, quipping about Vancouver attacking the city over artisanal coffee culture.
In his monologue, Kimmel sarcastically thanked Trump for sending troops “to occupy all of these Democrat-run cities, whether we want them or not. And we do not,” underlining the absurdity he sees in the decision.