The Moment
Jimmy Kimmel has heard Donald Trump’s latest demand that ABC fire him, and he did not respond with quiet dignity. He responded with, well… “Quiet, piggy!”
On Thursday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the late-night host devoted a chunk of his monologue to Trump, after the former president reportedly told ABC to “get the bum off the air” following Kimmel’s Wednesday show. Kimmel gleefully replayed Trump’s favorite insult back at him, turning the week’s political catchphrase into a comedy weapon.
Jimmy Kimmel shouts ‘quiet piggy’ after Trump called for him to be axed by ABChttps://t.co/I45aJRhPEb pic.twitter.com/kXzpyMuQy2
— MirrorUSNews (@MirrorUSNews) November 21, 2025
Kimmel mocked Trump’s ongoing fixation with his ratings, telling viewers they really should listen to Trump on the subject: “If anyone knows about bad ratings, it’s that guy.” Ouch.
He then reminded everyone this wasn’t Trump’s first attempt to get him canned this fall. And instead of clinging to his desk, Kimmel offered a deal: he’d walk away from late night when Trump finally walks away from politics. “I’ll go when you go,” he joked. “We’ll be a team. Let’s ride off into the sunset together!”
Until then? He’s staying put, contract reportedly running through 2026, and very much not staying quiet.
The Take
I have to say it: American politics is now a never-ending roast battle, and someone forgot to tell these men they’re not at a Friars Club dinner.
Trump reportedly calls a female reporter “quiet, piggy” during a press moment, his press aide Karoline Leavitt defends it as “frank and honest,” and 48 hours later Jimmy Kimmel is on ABC flipping the exact words back on Trump like a verbal boomerang. This is less “West Wing” and more “Real Housewives: Pennsylvania Avenue.”
Here’s the bigger picture, though. Kimmel punching up at a powerful politician is old-school late-night stuff. Carson jabbed presidents, Letterman rolled his eyes at everyone, Jon Stewart basically built an empire on calling out political nonsense. The difference now is the president himself yells back, repeatedly, in public, about the host’s job security. That’s new and frankly a little chilling, even when it’s clownish.
It’s one thing for Trump to gripe about jokes. It’s another for a guy who just left the Oval Office to keep telling a major network to fire one specific comedian because he doesn’t like the monologue. That’s the part I can’t shrug off. Workplace drama is one thing; a former president trying to cancel your contract is something else entirely.
At the same time, Kimmel knows exactly what he’s doing. Every time Trump rants about his “bad ratings,” Kimmel gets another night of material and another viral clip. It’s like that coworker who keeps copying your boss on angry emails; they think they’re hurting you, but they’re really just giving you more chances to look unbothered.
Is Kimmel’s “quiet, piggy” comeback high art? No. It’s playground talk. But it’s playground talk aimed back at the person who started it, not at some random reporter just trying to do her job. That difference matters.
If you’re tired of politics being everywhere – including your bedtime TV – you’re not wrong. This feud is exhausting. But it also says something about where we are: presidents do late-night-style insults, and late-night hosts answer back like political commentators. The culture war moved into the 11:35 p.m. time slot years ago; we’re just watching the reruns with new catchphrases.
Receipts
Confirmed:
- On Thursday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC, Kimmel addressed Donald Trump directly, joking about Trump’s claims of “bad ratings,” offering to leave TV “when you go,” and throwing Trump’s own “quiet, piggy” line back at him, as seen in the broadcast monologue.
- Earlier in the week, Trump turned heads by telling a reporter to “quiet, piggy” during a press interaction; his press aide Karoline Leavitt later defended his language to White House journalists as “frank and honest,” according to a widely circulated news report dated November 21, 2025.
- In the same coverage, Trump was quoted urging ABC to “get the bum off the air,” referring to Kimmel, after the host’s Wednesday night show.
- Entertainment industry reporting notes that Kimmel’s current ABC contract is expected to run through 2026; there has been no formal announcement about whether he will continue beyond that.
Unverified / Open Questions:
- Whether ABC executives have had any serious internal discussions about parting ways with Kimmel in response to Trump’s repeated complaints has not been reported or confirmed.
- Kimmel has joked about leaving TV “when you go” to Trump, but he has not publicly committed to retiring in 2026 or tying his career plans to any specific political timeline.
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
If you haven’t been glued to late-night TV for the past decade, here’s the quick refresher. Jimmy Kimmel, longtime host of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, has been one of Donald Trump’s more consistent critics in comedy land since the 2016 campaign. Monologues, sketches, Oscars jokes – Kimmel has gone there, often.
Trump, meanwhile, has a long-running obsession with TV ratings and late-night jokes at his expense. He has publicly fumed about Kimmel and other hosts before, complaining about being mocked and sometimes insisting their ratings are “terrible.” The back-and-forth has only sharpened as Trump remains a dominant political figure and late-night shows have leaned harder into political commentary.
This latest flare-up folds in something new: Trump’s “quiet, piggy” remark to a reporter, which drew criticism for being demeaning, especially toward a woman simply doing her job. Kimmel borrowing that same phrase and firing it back at Trump is his way of saying, “If that’s your level, I’ll meet you there – and make you the punchline instead.”
What’s Next
In the short term, expect more of the same: Trump venting about Kimmel’s jokes and ratings, and Kimmel happily turning those rants into monologue gold. Every fresh insult is basically a free writer in Jimmy’s room.
The bigger question is what happens closer to 2026, when Kimmel’s current contract reportedly ends. Does he sign on for more years of political trench warfare at 11:35, or decide he’s had enough of being a full-time Trump foil? So far, he’s been noncommittal publicly, keeping the door open to staying or riding off into that “sunset” he joked about.
For viewers, this is a choice point too. Late-night has become the place where politics, comedy, and outrage all mash together. Some people love it; others miss when the hottest topic at that hour was a movie star’s awkward talk-show story and a goofy sketch.
One thing seems certain: as long as Trump keeps talking about Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Kimmel will keep talking about Trump. They’re locked in a feedback loop neither of them seems eager to break – and ABC, for now, seems happy to let the cameras roll.
Your turn: Do you think late-night hosts like Kimmel should keep trading shots with politicians like Trump, or is it time for these shows to dial back the political feuds and find a new playbook?
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