Jimmy Kimmel declares ‘tyranny is booming’ in America as he unleashes on Trump in Christmas message… and boasts he beat attempts to silence him

Jimmy Kimmel launched a blistering attack on Donald Trump, claiming ‘bullying is on the rise’ in America in his Christmas Day message to British viewers.

Kimmel was chosen to deliver UK broadcaster Channel 4’s ‘Alternative Christmas Message’ and he didn’t hold back, using the address to go after the president.

‘Bullying is exploding here. “As you may have read in your colorful newspapers, the president of my country wants to silence me because I don’t adore him as much as he does,” Kimmel said.

He accused Trump of ‘destroying the structures of our democracy, both figuratively and literally.’

Referencing Trump’s demolition of the East Wing to build a new ballroom, Kimmel claimed the president is after “everything from a free press to science to medicine to judicial independence to the White House.”

‘This has been a really great year from a fascism perspective,’ Kimmel added.

Kimmel also talked about his brief suspension from the airwaves following offensive statements he made following the Charlie Kirk assassination.

The presenter told UK viewers that a Christmas miracle happened in September as millions of people, some of whom hated his programme, spoke out for freedom of expression.

Kimmel was chosen to deliver UK broadcaster Channel 4’s ‘Alternative Christmas Message’ and went after the president as he does every night on ABC.

“We won, the president lost, and now I’m back on the air every night giving the world’s most powerful politician a well-deserved and well-deserved shtick,” he said, jokingly using British slang throughout the speech.

Kimmel said he did not expect the British to know who he was and warned that silencing critics was not something that only happened in Russia or North Korea.

He said despite the schism that led to the American Revolution 250 years ago, the two countries still shared a special relationship and urged Britain not to give up on the US, which is ‘going through a bit of a shaky ground at the moment’.

‘We are in a very bad situation and we know it affects you too and I just wanted to apologise.’

Reactions largely fell along the usual political lines; many have pointed out that Kimmel spends much of his time trying to take down the president.

‘Oh my god, comedy is easy if you retell the same joke every four minutes,’ one wrote.

Others cited comedian Graham Linehan’s recent arrest for making anti-trans jokes as evidence of the ‘double standard’ in casting Kimmel for the alternative message.

‘I find it ironic that Jimmy Kimmel is giving a speech about ‘bullying’ in the UK; here people are forced to pay off the BBC and are reportedly being arrested for saying, broadcasting and even joking about things that are ‘wrong thought’. But of course. One commenter wrote: “Tell them Jimmy.”

Reactions largely fell along the usual political lines, with many pointing out that Kimmel was using his time to go after Trump again.

Another added: ‘This clown is speaking to a country where the government JAILS PEOPLE FOR SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS.’

They noted that the comedian could do nothing but attack the United States, and Kimmel ended the monologue with a joke: ‘We’re not smart, we’re Americans.’

Kimmel shamelessly attacked Trump throughout the year, using his platform to criticize the President’s policies, rhetoric, and character, leading to a long-running rivalry.

Following Kirk’s assassination in September, he was taken off the air for delivering a monologue claiming that the ‘MAGA mob’ were ‘trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as someone other than one of them, and doing everything they could to score political points off of it’.

He also accused them of ‘working too hard to profit from the murder’ before claiming Trump was mourning like ‘a four-year-old mourning a goldfish’.

Disney-owned ABC took his show off the air in response, while FCC Chairman Brendan Carr warned that the network’s license could be at risk due to Kimmel’s content.

Trump then suggested that if any TV stations gave him bad news, ‘maybe their license should be taken away’.

The debate sparked backlash and protests; The White House was accused of violating freedom of expression and press.

Kimmel also talked about his brief suspension from the air following his offensive statements following the Charlie Kirk assassination.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr warned ABC that its license could be at risk due to Kimmel’s content, which led to the program being temporarily taken off the air.

Disney faced huge pressure from Hollywood stars after suspending Kimmel. Singer Olivia Rodrigo was among 400 stars who signed an ACLU open letter supporting free speech and condemning Disney’s decision.

Less than a week later, Kimmel returned to his show and, in an emotional monologue in which he nearly burst into tears, said he wasn’t trying to joke about the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

“I have no illusions about changing anyone’s mind, but I want to make something clear, because this is important to me as a human being, and that means you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” Kimmel said.

‘I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.’

He added that he was not trying to blame any group for the actions of an individual who was clearly deeply disturbed. This was actually the opposite of the point I was trying to make.’

He said he understood the remarks some made last week “felt either ill-timed or unclear or perhaps both.”

Kimmel thanked his many supporters, including fellow late-night hosts past and present and even a former boss at a Seattle radio station who met with him last week.

He also singled out people he knew were not fans of his comedy but who defended his right to speak, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

Kimmel returned to his show and, in an emotional monologue in which he appeared close to tears, said he wasn’t trying to make a joke about the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Protesters also rallied in Kimmel’s favor with this sign celebrating Kimmel’s return to the airwaves.

The show returned to big ratings on its first night, but quickly bounced back.

Kimmel’s wife and head writer Molly McNearney previously admitted that she and her husband thought his career was effectively over.

But he secured the show a one-year contract extension, keeping it on the air until May 2027.

Channel 4’s annual broadcast, which was first broadcast in 1993, aims to deliver a message to viewers about the events of that year.

Kimmel’s speech follows previous messages delivered by a wide range of presenters, including British comedian Chris McCausland, who touched on disability after becoming the first visually impaired person to win the UK’s Strictly Come Dancing show last year.

Other presenters include former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, actor and TV presenter Sir Stephen Fry, whistleblower Edward Snowden, former House of Commons speaker John Bercow and actor Danny Dyer.

Kimmel’s ABC show is currently on reruns for the holidays and will return in early January.