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Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel blamed Donald Trump's rise to the presidency in part on liberals who have criticized comedians over the years during a newly published interview.
"I think a lot of the outrage is completely manufactured, and it’s like, a lot of these people who are angry aren’t really angry. I think these liberals who’ve done such a good job of viciously attacking comedians are a big part of the reason why Trump is the president right now," he told Rolling Stone in an interview published Tuesday, when asked about the constantly shifting standards of what is acceptable in comedy.
"I just think human beings in general, when you see something that makes you laugh and you see a bunch of other people laughing, and then somebody steps in with their arms folded and goes, ‘That’s not funny, and here’s why that’s not funny,’ it just doesn’t give you a good feeling about a person," he continued.
Kimmel, an outspoken critic of the president, supported and campaigned for Democrats in the 2024 election.
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Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel spoke to Rolling Stone about his career and President Donald Trump. (Screenshot/Kimmel)
"There’s no black and white when it comes to comedy. There is no line. The line is different for every person. Dave Chappelle can say things that somebody else might not be able to. I don’t think anybody should be canceled. I really don’t," Kimmel said.
Kimmel fought back tears during his show after Trump's 2024 victory. The late-night comedian also spoke to Rolling Stone about his material, which often focuses on the president.
"Some days, he gives you so much that you’re throwing things away that would’ve been the biggest event of the entire Bush presidency. I try not to get too deep in the weeds. I have to remind myself that this is not an exposé, it is a comedy show," he said.
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Donald Trump holds a rally in the historically Democratic South Bronx on May 23, 2024, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
"I just don’t understand how Americans can support what he’s doing and the stupid stuff that he gets hung up on, like transgender sports and the stuff that affects almost no one," he said of Trump.
Kimmel said Trump and the GOP were at an extreme he's never seen before.
"There’s no decency. It’s just a bunch of animals, and it’s disgusting," he said. "I mean, on the Fourth of July, I still put up a flag, and I’m never going to stop doing that, because I’m never going to let them have that symbol."
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The liberal late-night host took aim at Democrats in early March, after a group of liberal lawmakers posed for a "Choose Your Fighter" video posted to social media in defiance of the new adminsitration.
The video featured Democratic congresswomen who could be seen jumping up and down in a fighting position as if they were video game characters, along with text describing their accolades and attributes.
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"It looks like a video that the PTA would make to entertain at the luncheon. And it’s just got to be better than that," Kimmel told Rolling Stone.
Hanna Panreck is an associate editor at Fox News.
