Jimmy Kimmel says he has a European escape plan ready and it comes just days after Donald Trump predicted his late-night career could be coming to an end.
The 57-year-old TV host revealed on The Sarah Silverman Podcast that he has obtained Italian citizenship, describing it as a “backup plan” to escape Donald Trump’s presidency.
Trump’s blunt assessment
Earlier in the week, Trump was asked about rumors that Howard Stern might leave Sirius XM. The president didn’t hold back, taking aim at both Kimmel and fellow host Jimmy Fallon.
“Fallon has no talent. Kimmel has no talent. They’re next. They’re going to be going,” Trump said confidently from the Oval Office.
For Trump supporters, it was a moment that underscored his willingness to call out Hollywood elites, many of whom have spent years mocking him on-air.
Late-night TV in decline
Kimmel’s European talk comes at a time when late-night shows are struggling. Stephen Colbert’s program is set to end next year, with CBS citing low ratings and declining profits.
Critics believe the network also faced pressure after settling a $16 million lawsuit with Trump over deceptive editing in a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris — a case Colbert mocked before the cancellation news broke.
Kimmel complains about the climate
During his podcast appearance, Kimmel lamented what he called the “loud voices” of the left’s cancel culture, saying some points are valid but many are “repulsive” and “repel people”, and summed it up as making people think, “Oh, you’re no fun. I don’t want to be around you.”
Kimmel even found an unlikely ally in pro-Trump Fox News host Greg Gutfeld, who praised him for recognizing the dangers of cancel culture, a point Trump has long made, and joked that his pairing with Jimmy Fallon was “the biggest crossover since the Harlem Globetrotters visited The Golden Girls.”
But for many viewers, the idea of a late-night host leaving the country rather than engaging in debate only reinforces the perception that Hollywood’s biggest critics of Trump are quick to retreat when challenged.
Trump stays the course
While Kimmel considers Italy, Trump remains in the spotlight: confident, combative, and unapologetic. His blunt takedown of Kimmel and Fallon reflects the same direct style that resonates with his base, no matter how loudly Hollywood complains.