Jimmy Kimmel Pokes Fun at Future of Late Night, Donald Trump in Critics Choice Acceptance Speech

Jimmy Kimmel said he was surprised to win best talk series at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards, but he still came equipped with a number of sharp barbs and a comically long written acceptance speech, which he unrolled onstage.

Kimmel quipped that he would have preferred a “FIFA peace prize,” referring to the award President Donald Trump received at the, now renamed, Kennedy Center during the World Cup draw last month.

After that, Kimmel unrolled a comedically long written acceptance speech as he said he “really didn’t expect this,” and thanked the critics, calling out three specific reviewers by name, including Jeffrey Howard from Kclv-tv in Las Vegas, whom Kimmel, a Sin City native, said he went to high school with.

He went on to thank “our friends at Disney,” naming CEO Bob Iger, entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden and even OpenAI boss Sam Altman, who, Kimmel said, “who now owns my voice and face.