Jimmy Kimmel thanked President Donald Trump during the comedian’s win for Best Talk Show at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards.
Kimmel gave the pointed shoutout in his acceptance speech Sunday after “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was temporarily pulled off the air in September over his controversial remarks about Charlie Kirk’s death.
“Thanks to all the writers and actors and producers and union members, many of you who are in this room, who supported us, who really stepped forward us and reminded us that we do not take free speech for granted in this city or in this country,” he said, referencing the tense time.
“Your actions were important, and we appreciate them,” he continued.
He then directly thanked Trump.
“And most of all, I want to thank our president, Donald Jennifer Trump, without whom, we would be going home empty-handed tonight,” Kimmel said.
“So thank you, Mr. President, for all the many ridiculous things you do each and every day,” he added. “It’s been a banner couple of weeks, and we can’t get wait to get back on the air tomorrow night to talk about them.”
Kimmel again reflected on his suspension backstage after winning the award.
“It was almost a near-death experience for me, of course, not literally, but I did feel like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn watching their own funeral,” Kimmel shared with reporters.
He continued, “All this stuff happened and to be here and see that people reacted to it in not just a positive way, but almost a desperate way, we’re like, ‘Oh boy, when they come after the comedians this is when we draw the line.’”
“We’re really grateful that they drew the line at us.”
ABC’s decision to suspend Kimmel’s late-night show came after TV station conglomerate Nexstar Media threatened to pre-empt airings of the program over his comments on Kirk.
Prior to the show being pulled, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr threatened to launch an official probe into Kimmel and his show over the comedian’s remarks that Kirk’s alleged killer was a supporter of MAGA, the “Make America Great Again” political movement that backs Trump.
Kimmel, 58, claimed that the “MAGA gang” was using the conservative pundit’s death as a move to gain political points.
He also slammed Trump, 79, for talking about White House renovations when reporters asked him to comment on Kirk’s death.
“He’s at the fourth stage of grief: construction,” Kimmel joked. “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish.”
ABC ended the suspension less than a week later, and Kimmel tearfully insisted in his first monologue back that he never intended to “make light of the murder of a young man.”
He also praised Erika Kirk’s decision to forgive her husband’s accused killer, but took more more jabs at Trump.
“You almost have to feel sorry for him. He tried his best to cancel me,” he said. “Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show.”
“That backfired bigly,” he continued. “He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now.”
