Jimmy Kimmel, Photo: PictureGroup for The Walt Disney Company / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia
Jimmy Kimmel said it had been a “great year” for US fascism under Donald Trump, warning British viewers of the threat of censorship, Sky News reports.
The US talk show host used his Christmas message to UK viewers on Thursday to declare victory for free speech over President Trump's calls to cancel the show, Axios reports.
British public broadcaster Channel 4 is choosing a big-name personality to deliver an alternative message to the British monarch's annual Christmas message, with Kimmel admitting in his message that he has “no idea” what's going on in the UK, but said “tyranny is rampant” in the US.
Kimmel has a long-running feud with the US president, which has intensified since his show was suspended by ABC in September over his criticism of the White House leader and the “MAGA gang” over their handling of Charlie Kirk's death.
Trump celebrated the host's suspension, saying Kimmel was “not a talented person” and was “fired for lack of talent,” before calling for fellow left-wing hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Myers to meet the same fate.
The show was put back on the schedule the following week after Disney-owned ABC faced backlash from stars, fans and free-speech advocates.
“From the perspective of fascism, this has been a really great year”
In his Channel 4 Christmas message, a parody of the royal family's official Christmas Day message, Kimmel said: “From the perspective of fascism, this has been a really great year. Tyranny is booming here.”
He reflected on the cancellation and reversal of his show, saying, “We won, the president lost — and now I'm back on the air every night giving the most powerful politician on Earth a harsh, well-deserved critique.”
He referred to the president as “King Donny VIII” and suggested he was “calling for executions”.
He added: “Here in the United States, right now, we are literally and figuratively demolishing the structures of our democracy. From a free press, to science, to medicine, to judicial independence, to the White House itself, we are in a real mess.
And we know this affects you too, and I just wanted to apologize,” he said with a shrug.
“We're not all like him”
“And we want you to know, or at least I want you to know, that we're not all like him. We're not all like that.”
Toward the end of the show, he said, “We're not smart. We're Americans. Nobody knows better than you that we're always a little behind, but do we manage in the end? Maybe. Give us about three years. Please.”
First broadcast in 1993, the annual show was an alternative to the monarch's annual televised speech and is intended to convey a message to viewers about the year's events.
Comedians such as Chris McCausland, Sir Stephen Fry and actor Danny Dyer have given the speech in recent years.
