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‘If I can’t beat Jimmy Kimmel, then I don’t think I should be president. Hey, a deal is a deal.”
Jimmy Kimmel returned from the winter break with a familiar mix of satire and political humor. His first monologue of the year quickly turned toward a recent holiday broadcast that drew unexpected attention.
Without naming names at first, the late-night host set up a comparison between television bragging rights and public performance, easing viewers into the punchline.
A small audience
At the start of Monday’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel mocked Donald Trump’s role as host of the Kennedy Center Honors, according to reporting by Variety.
“You know, he hosted an awards show during the holidays,” Kimmel said. “After bragging about how good a host he is, how much better he is than me, and how big his audiences are going to be, Trump hosted the smallest audience in history for the Kennedy Center Honors.”
According to Variety, the ceremony, broadcast on Dec. 7, averaged 3.01 million viewers, Nielsen data showed. Nielsen Live + Same Day Panel + Big Data figures indicated a 25 percent decline from 2024, which had previously marked a record low with 4.1 million viewers.
What did Trump actually say?
The jab from Kimmel appear to be aimed at a clip from December 2025, where Trump joked that:
“If I can’t beat Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t deserve to be president.”
Kimmel continued his opening monologue by joking about the political fallout of the numbers. “I wouldn’t want to be the White House intern who had to rip that headline out of every newspaper and eat it,” he said.
He then referenced past comments attributed to Trump about audience competition. “You know, from what I remember, he said he would resign if that happened. He said, ‘If I can’t beat Jimmy Kimmel, then I don’t think I should be president. Hey, a deal is a deal. Back to Mar-a-Lago!'”
A historic role
Trump was the first sitting U.S. president to host the Kennedy Center Honors, an event recognizing “individuals whose unique contributions have shaped our world,” according to the Kennedy Center. The 2025 honorees included George Strait, Sylvester Stallone, KISS, Michael Crawford and Gloria Gaynor.
During his second term, Trump took a personal interest in the venue. In December, he renamed it the “Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts,” a move that prompted protests and led to several canceled performances.
The Trump-clip can be seen on YouTube here (opens new tab).
The Jimmy Kimmel monologue can be seen on YouTube here (opens new tab).
Sources: Variety, Nielsen, Jimmy Kimmel Live!
