Jimmy Kimmel Says Late-Night TV Could Use One Big Fix: 'A Different President'

Jimmy Kimmel has a simple prescription for late-night television’s uncertain future.

Asked by The Hollywood Reporter what it would take to save the format, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host answered, “A different president would be a good start.”

The line landed at the end of a season in which Kimmel became one of President Donald Trump’s most visible late-night foils, especially after CBS ended The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Kimmel is currently on summer hiatus, with guest hosts filling in before he returns to ABC.

Kimmel’s year included Emmy nominations for Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, but it also included a suspension that briefly put his own ABC future in question.

ABC pulled Kimmel from the air in September after a monologue joke about reaction to the assassination of conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk. The move followed pressure from Trump’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the show returned six days later after a backlash from viewers and celebrities.

Asked what he would remember most from the season, Kimmel did not point to the nominations.

“No question that what I will remember most is the reaction to our unscheduled vacation [after Kirk], which went so far beyond what I ever could have expected,” he said. “I’ll never forget the support from friends, strangers and even those who generally make me throw up.”

The suspension drew criticism from across the political spectrum, including from conservatives Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Tulsi Gabbard.

Kimmel has remained one of Trump’s sharpest entertainment-world critics. The president also took aim at him again in the spring after Kimmel made a joke about Melania Trump.

The host’s latest interview kept the feud in punchline form. Asked what he would say if he found himself alone in an elevator with Trump, Kimmel answered, “Which button do we push for a Diet Coke?”

Kimmel was also asked whether he would put up another billboard urging Emmy voters to support The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. His answer suggested he would not mind some reciprocal campaigning.

“We were hoping this time they’d get one for us,” he said.

While Kimmel is away, guest hosts have continued taking shots at Trump on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, including jokes about his “tiny hands” and Melania’s “terrifying” personality.

Anthony Anderson is scheduled to guest-host the week of August 10, followed by Rosie O’Donnell, one of Trump’s longest-running TV adversaries.