Jimmy Kimmel Finds A Powerful Republican Ally For His Free Speech Fight With Trump

Jimmy Kimmel came with receipts for Thursday night’s monologue amid President Donald Trump’s ongoing calls for him to be fired from his ABC show. In fact, the late-night host highlighted a major Republican leader who seemed to support him and his right to free speech.

“During the campaign for president, there was a man, a very prominent Republican man, who seemed to be against this idea of muzzling people you don’t agree with,” he said.

Kimmel then played a supercut of Trump clips from the campaign trail over the past decade, showing him boasting about hating cancel culture and championing free speech.

“The goal of cancel culture is to make decent Americans live in fear of being fired,” Trump said in the last clip.

Kimmel said he believes Trump may not have had his adversaries in mind when he made those remarks.

“He did say decent Americans; I don’t think I qualify,” Kimmel noted. “I hate to say this, and I hope it doesn’t get me in trouble. I’m starting to think Donald Trump might be a hypocrite.”

Trump on Thursday once again called for Kimmel to be fired in the wake of a joke the comedian made last week about first lady Melania Trump.

“When is ABC Fake News Network firing seriously unfunny Jimmy Kimmel, who incompetently presides over one of the Lowest Rated shows on Television? People are angry. It better be soon!!! President DJT,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Following Kimmel’s joke about the first lady, Trump’s FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, ordered an early license review of all eight Disney-owned ABC-affiliated stations. Disney, ABC’s parent company, has for the most part remained silent on the issue, with no indication it intends to fire Kimmel.

Watch Kimmel’s full monologue from Thursday night’s show here: