Jimmy Kimmel sparks backlash with ‘tyranny’ jab at America in UK Christmas speech

Jimmy Kimmel is facing renewed backlash following his decision to criticize the United States during an address to the United Kingdom that aired on Christmas. RealClearPolitics co-founder Tom Bevan dismissed Kimmel’s remarks as contradictory and called the late-night host "insufferable."

Kimmel was selected to deliver Channel 4’s annual "Alternative Christmas Message," a long-standing counter-programming speech that airs opposite the BBC’s traditional Royal Christmas address.

During the speech, the late-night host repeatedly took aim at President Donald Trump, claiming that "tyranny is booming over here" in the U.S. He also apologized on behalf of the country, telling the audience, "We are not bright. We’re Americans."

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Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel appears during the Bloomberg Screentime event in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 8. (Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Kimmel went on to argue that Trump wanted to silence him because he does not "adore him in the way he likes to be adored." He also claimed that after his show was briefly pulled off the air in September, it returned "stronger than ever" and that "the president lost."

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Bevan said Kimmel’s claims don’t make sense, given the host’s continued presence on television, calling him "among the most insufferable Trump haters in America."

"There's a real contradiction there. If tyranny is booming, how can his show be doing so well?" asked Bevan on "America’s Newsroom" Friday.

President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter in the Oval Office at the White House on May 5. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

"If, you know, tyranny is so great in the United States, why does Jimmy Kimmel get to go on the air every single night and bash the president of the United States? That seems like a free America," he later added.

Other figures on X took aim at Kimmel for ripping his own country while ignoring the free speech issues in Britain, given the flood of arrests there of citizens over social media posts.

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Earlier this year, Disney temporarily pulled Kimmel’s show off the air after the host suggested that the suspected killer of Charlie Kirk was a Trump supporter. Following the remarks, several local television broadcasters refused to air the show for days.

Kimmel eventually returned to his show, saying he hadn’t intended to make light of the shooting. While the controversy led to a ratings bump, Kimmel and most other late-night comedians continue to face declining viewership.

Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air Sept. 24, delivering a tearful apology after being suspended for remarks deemed insensitive about Charlie Kirk’s death. (Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images)

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"They became more and more niche, basically pandering to sort of an anti-Trump audience. And as a result, they found their ratings decline rather precipitously," Bevan said.

Earlier this month, ABC extended Kimmel’s contract, which was set to end in May 2026, into 2027.