Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel delivered a blistering and darkly comic warning about the state of American democracy in a Christmas Day address aimed at viewers in the United Kingdom, taking direct aim at President Donald Trump and what he described as creeping authoritarianism.
The speech, titled “The Alternative Christmas Message,” aired on Channel 4 and served as a counterpoint to the British monarch’s traditional holiday address. Channel 4 has aired alternative Christmas messages since 1993, often inviting controversial or unconventional figures to reflect on the year’s events.
Kimmel used the platform to comment on Trump’s second term in office, accusing the president of behaving like royalty and undermining democratic norms.
“From a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year,” Kimmel said. “Tyranny is booming over here.” The address followed a turbulent few months for Kimmel, whose show Jimmy Kimmel Live! was briefly suspended by ABC in September after backlash over comments he made following the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kimmel had suggested some Trump supporters were attempting to exploit the tragedy for political gain.
Trump celebrated the suspension, calling it “great news for America,” and publicly urged networks to fire other late-night hosts who criticize him. The move sparked widespread concern among journalists, entertainers, and civil liberties advocates regarding freedom of speech and the press, according to CBS News.
Hundreds of prominent figures in Hollywood and the entertainment industry rallied behind Kimmel, urging Americans to “fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights.” The show returned to the air less than a week later.
Kimmel told his U.K. audience that the backlash led to what he described as a rare victory for free expression. “We won, the president lost, and now I’m back on the air every night giving the most powerful politician on earth a right and richly deserved bollocking,” he said.
Kimmel noted that Channel 4 has previously invited figures such as Edward Snowden and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to deliver the alternative message, adding that he did not expect most British viewers to even recognize him.
He warned that silencing critics is not confined to authoritarian states, and despite the American Revolution nearly 250 years ago, the U.S. and the U.K. remain closely linked.
“Here in the United States right now, we are both figuratively and literally tearing down the structures of our democracy from the free press to science to medicine to judicial independence to the actual White House itself,” Kimmel said. “We are a right mess, and we know this is also affecting you, and I just wanted to say sorry.”
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