Jimmy Kimmel returned to ABC on Tuesday night with a sustained attack on Donald Trump, hours after reports claimed his long-running late-night show could end in 2027.
The comedian’s first programme after a three-month summer break also marked the 4,000th episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!. He did not address the reports about the show’s future, instead devoting a 15-minute opening monologue to the president.
“Donald Trump and I have one thing in common,” Kimmel told the audience. “We both accomplished nothing all summer long.”
He said that when he left for his break in June, the United States was facing war with Iran, high fuel prices and inflation, while making a joke about the uncertainty surrounding Kentucky senator Mitch McConnell’s health.
Kimmel then mocked the troubled renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which the White House said would be transformed into an “American Flag Blue” landmark.
After storms left the site surrounded by fallen trees, fencing and debris, Kimmel questioned how the project could have cost $20 million without producing a clean pool.
“I thought he was supposed to drain the swamp, he turned it into gravy instead,” he said, joking that the dark water might have been filled with Diet Coke.
“How are we supposed to win the war with Iran when we can’t even win the war against algae?” he added.
The host also ridiculed Trump’s approval ratings, saying they and the pool’s condition were both at “all-time lows”. He claimed the president was trying to prevent voters from expressing their views in the midterm elections.
Kimmel later referred to handwritten letters reportedly sent to Trump by aide Natalie Harp, including one which said: “You are all that matters to me.” He joked about a photograph of Harp driving a golf cart while wearing high heels.
He also revisited fuel prices, comparing figures from Labor Day 2024 with what he described as record prices this year, and criticised Trump for posting dozens of AI-generated images on social media.
The programme ended with a montage of what Kimmel described as the best and worst moments of the president’s summer.
ABC disputes report over Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The monologue came after Page Six reported that Kimmel’s contract would not be renewed beyond its current term, potentially bringing his 24-year run on ABC to an end in 2027.
ABC rejected the claim, saying in a statement that the information was inaccurate and that reports about the programme’s future were “purely speculative”.
Kimmel signed a one-year extension with Disney in December 2025, keeping him under contract until at least May 2027. ABC’s official schedule confirmed that he returned on Tuesday, September 8, with actor Andrew Garfield and actress Joey King among the guests.
Sources cited in reports said any decision about the show was unlikely to be linked to Kimmel’s criticism of Trump, suggesting instead that wider cost-cutting efforts at Disney could play a role.
