Jimmy Kimmel Hit Back at Donald Trump for Calling Him 'Worst Host': "Isn't It Past Your Jail Time"

Jimmy Kimmel put ex-president Donald Trump in place on the prestigious Academy stage and slammed him for his distasteful social media insult. The late-night host and Trump are often at loggerheads, using their respective platforms to take a jibe at each other. The Oscar stage, this time, was no exception. 

The Comedian read Trump's social media post audibly from his phone before hundreds of audience, "Has there ever been a worse host than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars? His opening was that of a less than average person trying too hard to be something, which he is not, and never can be." Trump suggested a "replacement" for Kimmel ahead in Truth Social post. 

"Get rid of Kimmel and perhaps replace him with another washed up, but cheap, ABC 'talent,' George Slopanopoulos. He would make everybody on stage look bigger, stronger, and more glamorous. Blah. Blah. Blah. Make America Great Again," wrote the former US president, as read by the host, Kimmel. 

The 77-year-old called the Oscars "a really bad politically correct show" and "disjointed, boring and very unfair." For obvious reasons, the off-putting review didn't sit well with the host and he responded to Trump live from the 96th annual Academy Awards stage. 

"Thank you, President Trump," quipped Kimmel. "Thank you for watching. I'm surprised you're still ah…isn't it past your jail time?" referencing the ex-commander-in-chief's multiple indictments and legal battles. Meanwhile, the audience cheered and hooted in support of the late-night host. 

The two have had a history of hitting back at each other. While we're unsure about Trump, Kimmel admitted in an interview with CNN that "One of the most fun parts of my job is knowing that he hates being made fun of and making fun of him," adding, "And then, every once in a while, he reminds us that he hates it and he gets mad. So, I love that. I take some pleasure in it." 

However, according to a report by Rolling Stone, Kimmel's "freedom of speech" offended Trump and his officials previously demanded Disney censor Kimmel and his frequent jokes at him. In February 2023, a former official from the Trump administration recalled, "At least one call was made to Disney [that I know of]." 

The anonymous staff added, "I do not know to who[m], but it happened. Nobody thought it was going to change anything but DJT was focused on it so we had to do something…It was doing something, mostly, to say to [Trump], 'Hey, we did this.'" However, his "pressure" to tone down Kimmel's jokes failed. 

This year marked the 56-year-old's fourth time hosting the Oscars, and during an interview with Good Morning America, Kimmel said he wouldn't be talking about #MeToo anymore. However, his perspective was clear about politics. "A lot of people are going with this line of reasoning where they say, people in show business shouldn't speak out about politics," he said. 

"And yet…they elected Donald Trump the president of the United States. So I think that argument has pretty well jumped out the window," added Kimmel.