Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Jimmy Kimmel says he was going to quit his show if ABC asked him to stop making Trump jokes

Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel arrives for the 74th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 12. Kimmel says he was going to quit his show if ABC asked him to stop making jokes about former President Donald Trump. (Chris Delmas/AFP/Getty Images) Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel arrives for the 74th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on September 12. Kimmel says he was going to quit his show if ABC asked him to stop making jokes about former President Donald Trump. (Chris Delmas/AFP/Getty Images)
Share

claims he was ready to walk out on his longtime late-night hosting gig if his bosses at ABC asked him to stop making jokes about then-presidential hopeful .

The comedian, who has been hosting "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on the network since 2003, said on the most recent episode of that he was willing to quit his job if the constraint was placed on him.

Kimmel said concern was "hinted at" by executives "right around the beginning of this whole Trump thing," when he says the network's research found he'd lost half of his fanbase -- "maybe more" -- as he began making more jokes about the former reality star.

"Ten years ago, among Republicans, I was the most popular talk show host. At least according to the research they did," Kimmel said.

But regardless of that slip in popularity among certain circles, Kimmel said at the time that he was simply not willing to refrain from making jokes about Trump.

"I said, 'If that's what you want to do, I understand, I don't begrudge you for it, but I'm not going to do that. If you want someone else to host the show, that's fine with me. I'm just not going to do it like that,'" Kimmel remembered saying.

CNN has reached out to ABC for comment.

Kimmel has previously credited people like David Letterman and former "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart for being leaders in how to address more difficult subjects, including hot-button political issues.

"You watch the news all day, you see what's going on, how do you walk on stage and ignore it? It just doesn't work anymore," Kimmel . "I wish I could. It's hard for me to talk about serious subjects. It takes a lot out of me. I do want to be funny. That's fun."

Kimmel with ABC earlier this year that will keep him in his hosting chair for three more years. His contract had been set to expire in 2023.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

An organization that ranks the best universities across the globe says its latest report shows a concerning trend that several of Canada’s institutions are slipping down its list.

A British Columbia provincial court judge says a Boston Bar man who shot a teacup Chihuahua named Bear claiming it was menacing his chickens was not justified in killing the animal.

A man who showed up at a rental car company only to be told his online reservation would not be honoured is entitled to compensation, B.C.'s small claims tribunal has ruled.

Emotions boiled over after a judge acquitted two out of three defendants in a manslaughter case, while the third accused has since died.

Local Spotlight

Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.

Saskatchewan’s Jessica Campbell has made hockey history, becoming the first ever female assistant coach in the National Hockey League (NHL).

A B.C. couple is getting desperate – and creative – in their search for their missing dog.

Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.

A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.

Bernie Hicks, known as the ‘Batman of Amherst,’ always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.

Bubi’s Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.

Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.

Manitobans are in cleanup mode after intense winds barreled through southern parts of the province this weekend.