In the first Jimmy Kimmel Live! monologue of 2026, Kimmel poked fun at the historically low ratings. “You know he hosted an awards show over the break,” said Kimmel. “After boasting about what a great host he is and how much better he is than I am and how huge his ratings would be, Trump hosted the lowest-rated Kennedy Center Honors telecast of all time.”
“Boy, I’d hate to be the White House intern who had to tear that headline out of all the papers and eat ’em,” joked the late-night host.
The President Trump-hosted ceremony averaged 3.01 million viewers. This was down 25 percent on the 2024 Kennedy Center Honors, which at the time posted a record low of 4.1 million viewers.
“You know, as I recall, he said he’d step down if this happened. He said, ‘If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel, then I don’t think I should be president.’ Well, hey, a deal is a deal. Back to Mar-a-Lago you go,” continued Kimmel.
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Kimmel was referring to Trump’s comment to the press in which he told reporters he “watched some of the people that host. Jimmy Kimmel was horrible, and some of these people. If I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president.”
Trump became the first sitting president to host the Kennedy Center Honors, which celebrate “individuals whose unique contributions have shaped our world.” Trump took to Truth Social on the day of the broadcast to hype up the event. “At the request of the Board, and just about everybody else in America, I am hosting the event,” he wrote.
Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Weeknights, 11:35/10:35c, ABC
