Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has launched a sharp rebuke of former President Donald Trump amid escalating tensions following the announced cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The decision to end Colbert’s show in May 2026 has sparked widespread speculation, especially after Colbert recently criticised CBS parent company Paramount’s $16 million legal settlement with Trump.
In a post on social media, Kimmel expressed support for Colbert while also taking a swipe at Trump’s alleged ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Sharing a photo from a family vacation at a “Good Trouble” protest — held in honour of late civil rights icon John Lewis — Kimmel and his family held signs reading “Make America Good Again” and “I wish we had a better President.” But it was his caption that drew attention: “Summer family vacation! #goodtrouble. May every day be another wonderful secret.”
The latter part of his post was a pointed reference to a Wall Street Journal report claiming that Trump used those exact words in a birthday message to Epstein in 2003. Trump has denied the allegation and is currently pursuing legal action against the WSJ’s parent companies, Dow Jones and NewsCorp.
Shortly after Kimmel’s post, Trump responded on his social media platform Truth Social, celebrating Colbert’s exit. “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings,” Trump wrote. He also took aim at Kimmel and NBC’s Jimmy Fallon, saying, “I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!”
Kimmel, who has been a vocal critic of Trump for years, was quick to rally behind Colbert. “Love you Stephen. F— you and all your Sheldons, CBS,” he posted on Instagram, referencing the network’s The Big Bang Theory franchise.
CBS maintains that Colbert’s cancellation was a financial decision. However, the timing — just days after Colbert questioned Paramount’s multimillion-dollar Trump settlement on air — has raised concerns. U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has publicly questioned whether the move was politically motivated, stating, “America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.”
This isn’t Kimmel’s first brush with the Epstein controversy. Earlier this year, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers falsely suggested Kimmel’s name would appear in court documents related to Epstein. Kimmel threatened legal action, stating: “Your reckless words put my family in danger.”
Kimmel’s clashes with Trump have been long-standing. At the 2024 Oscars, after Trump criticised his monologue, Kimmel shot back: “Isn’t it past your jail time?” He has also condemned Trump’s stances on gun violence and immigration, at one point calling him “an arsonist with a hose” for sending the National Guard into California without the governor’s request.
As controversy continues to swirl around the cancellation of Colbert’s show, Kimmel has made clear he won’t be staying silent.
