Overview
- Kimmel delivered Channel 4’s 2025 Alternative Christmas Message on December 25, a long-running UK special that offers a provocative counterpoint to the monarch’s address.
- In the address, he accused the president of advancing authoritarianism, saying "tyranny is on the rise here" and joking about "King Donny VIII" to illustrate how quickly rhetoric can escalate.
- He said ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! in September after his remarks about the assassination of activist Charlie Kirk and claimed a U.S. government threat preceded the move.
- The suspension lasted about a week before the show returned on September 23 following widespread public and Hollywood support, with some local affiliates initially holding back.
- He apologized to British viewers and warned that U.S. institutions such as a free press, science, medicine and judicial independence are being undermined, and reports say he renewed his ABC contract in December to keep the show on air into 2027.