Jimmy Kimmel shocked everyone on Sunday when he thanked President Donald Trump while accepting the award for Best Talk Show at the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards.
Before beginning his speech to the awards ceremony, the late-night talk show host pulled out a ridiculously long piece of paper.
“I really didn’t expect this,” he began. “Thank you to all the writers and actors and producers and union members, many of you who are in this room, who have supported us, who have really stepped up and reminded us that we don’t take freedom of speech for granted in this city or in this country,” he said, referring to the tense time when Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suspended for six days.
“Your actions were important and we appreciate them,” he added.
Jimmy then directly thanked US President Trump, whom he has repeatedly criticized on his show.
“And above all, I want to thank our President, Donald Jennifer Trump, without whom we would go home empty-handed tonight,” he said.
“So thank you, Mr. President, for the many ridiculous things you do every day,” the TV host added. “It’s been a few weeks, and we can’t wait to be back on the air tomorrow night to talk about it.”
For those unfamiliar, Jimmy’s late-night show was temporarily taken off the air in September 2025 following his controversial comments regarding the death of Charlie Kirk.
