Jimmy Kimmel fired back at U.S. President Donald Trump after he declared Kimmel is the “next to go in the untalented Late Night Sweepstakes,” following the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
On Tuesday, Trump took to Truth Social to criticize Kimmel, claiming he has “absolutely NO TALENT” and warned that his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, is next on the chopping block.
“The word is, and it’s a strong word at that, Jimmy Kimmel is NEXT to go in the untalented Late Night Sweepstakes, and shortly thereafter, Fallon will be gone,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to other late-night host, Jimmy Fallon.
“These are people with absolutely NO TALENT, who were paid Millions of Dollars for, in all cases, destroying what used to be GREAT Television. It’s really good to see them go, and I hope I played a major part in it!”
Kimmel responded by sharing a screenshot of Trump’s post on Instagram with the caption: “I’m hearing you’re next. Or maybe it’s just another wonderful secret” — a reference to a Wall Street Journal report, published July 17, that claimed Trump had written the phrase to Jeffrey Epstein in a letter for his 50th birthday in 2003.
The alleged letter bearing Trump’s name included text framed by the outline of a hand-drawn naked woman and ended with, “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” according to the newspaper. The outlet described the contents of the letter but did not publish a photo showing it entirely.
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Trump has denied writing the letter, calling it “false, malicious, and defamatory.” He slammed the story in a lengthy social media post last week, saying he spoke to both the paper’s owner, Rupert Murdoch, and its top editor, Emma Tucker, and told them the letter was “fake.”
“These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures,” he said.
Trump has since sued the publication over the story.
Comedian Chelsea Handler addressed Trump in Kimmel’s Instagram comment section, adding that it’s “amazing a president doesn’t have more important things to do.”
“You’ve played a major role in every single person to contemplate leaving this country,” Handler wrote. “It’s amazing a president doesn’t have more important things to do like stop wars, make sure the country is safe from foreign enemies, or simply ensure that every family in this country can put food on their table.”
Handler went on to suggest that children’s literature character Pippi Longstocking “would be better suited to the office.”
On Monday’s episode of The Tonight Show, Fallon also brought up the cancellation of Colbert’s show.
“I am your host,” Fallon said. “Well, at least for tonight.”
“I don’t like it. I don’t like what’s going on one bit. These are crazy times,” he told his audience. “Stephen has done years of incredibly smart and hilarious television. He’s won 10 Emmys. Trump heard and was like, ‘Big deal. Last week, I just won a FIFA World Cup trophy.”
Fallon was referring to the recent FIFA World Cup Final trophy presentation, when Trump stuck around on stage in the centre of the moment as the players received their trophy.
Colbert also shared some choice words for Trump during Monday’s opening monologue on The Late Show.
“Over the weekend it sunk in that they’re killing off our show but they made one mistake: they left me alive,” Colbert said, looking directly into the camera.
“And now for the next 10 months, the gloves are off. I can finally speak unvarnished truth to power and say what I really think about Donald Trump, starting right now.”
Colbert said he doesn’t “care for” Trump, adding that he doesn’t think he has “the skill set to be president” and isn’t “a good fit.”
The late-night host went on to read Trump’s post celebrating the decision to cancel the show on Truth Social last Friday, in which he wrote, “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings.”
Colbert said into the “Eloquence Cam”: “How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? Go f— yourself.”
— With files from The Associated Press
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