Jimmy Kimmel said he lost half of his fanbase due to his relentless attacks on Donald Trump. He also claimed he felt it was his duty to blast the 45th president on his ABC show, and that’s when he got torched on social media.
Jimmy Kimmel claimed he lost half his fanbase and blamed supporters of former President Donald Trump for his dismal ratings. The comedian said he threatened to quit his ABC show if he was barred from attacking the 45th president after network executives advised Kimmel that blasting Trump would result in alienating many Americans who support him.
“There was one time, right around the beginning of this whole Trump thing… maybe not quite [eight years ago],” Kimmel said when asked if ABC ever had an issue with his anti-Trump jokes. “I said listen, I get it, you’re right. I have lost half of my fanbase, maybe more. Ten years ago, among Republicans I was the most popular talk show. At least according to the research they did.”
“I get it if [blocking Trump jokes is] what they want to do,” he added. “I said, ‘If that’s what you want to do I don’t begrudge you for it, but I’m not going to do that. If you want someone else to host the show, that’s fine with me. I’m just not going to do it like that.’” ABC executives ultimately decided to allow Kimmel to continue bashing Trump.
Kimmel isn’t apologizing for his on-air attacks against the former president. “I was serious,” he said. “I couldn’t live with myself [if I didn’t blast Trump]. I want to be on the air when Donald Trump goes to jail,” he continued. “I still believe, even after living through the O.J. [Simpson] trial, that justice triumphs in America, and I know there are a billion different examples to the contrary. [But] how can you commit this many crimes and be this unethical and be this terrible and get away with it?”
When Kimmel was told by podcast host Phil Rosenthal that he was doing a “public service” by attacking Trump, he replied by saying, “I love this country too. That flag doesn’t belong to them,” he added. “And when I see somebody coming in and ruining it, I’m gonna say something about it. That’s it. It’s as simple as that.”
Kimmel’s remarks caused quite a reaction from people on social media. “He should’ve said he lost half his audience when he gave up comedy for activism is more accurate. Jimmy hasn’t been a comedian since about 2017,” posted one critic. Another added: “Imagine having [Trump Derangement Syndrome] so bad you tell half your consumers to take a hike. Oh well, I’m glad he did it because it led to [Fox News Greg Gutfeld] being #1.”
He should’ve said he lost half his audience when he gave up comedy for activism is more accurate. Jimmy hasn’t been a comedian since about 2017
— Ultra Maga (@Anderology) November 4, 2022
“Comedians do not lose fan base due to their jokes,” Twitter user Jamie Taylor wrote. “They lose fan base due to their views and actions off the stage. There is a big difference. He is correct that his popularity has plummeted and it is due to his rhetoric off-stage.”
“I stopped watching Jimmy and Stephen Colbert because they were too far left for me,” one social media user commented. “There is never a reason any primetime television should be used as a political weapon. That is what late-night television has become and it’s crystal clear. I turned off the TV and rarely watch it.”
“Jimmy Kimmel and the rest of the ‘comedians’ lost more than half of their fan base because, with Trump in office, they were no longer funny,” another added. “Their type of humor became mean-spirited. They do not realize, apparently, that they are supposed to be entertainers who make us laugh, not politicians we learn to despise…because they are NOT funny and are no longer entertaining.”
One Twitter user looked at past late-night hosts as an example. “Johnny Carson was the best. He chided both sides and did it with good-natured humor,” he wrote. “These hosts today have no sense of decorum. Their insults are partisan and show no finesse when delivered which turns off many would-be fans.” According to reports, Jimmy Kimmel lost 60 percent of his audience, and it possibly happened because he forgot one thing: he didn’t rise to fame over his political opinion. He only has himself to blame.
