When Jimmy Kimmel strode onto the Brooklyn Academy of Music stage this week, he wasn’t just performing another monologue. He was waging a very public battle with the Trump administration — and using the kind of blunt language that has made him both a target of political fire and a hero to audiences hungry for late-night defiance.

The spark this time was Vice President JD Vance, who recently suggested that Kimmel’s recent suspension from ABC had less to do with politics and more to do with poor ratings. For Vance, it was a chance to downplay claims that the White House or FCC influenced the decision. For Kimmel, it was another in a long line of provocations that begged for a comedic — and savage — response.

And respond he did.

Kimmel’s Brooklyn Broadside

On Monday night, Kimmel opened his show with a rebuttal so sharp it immediately went viral.

“My ratings aren’t very good? Last time I checked, your ratings are somewhere between a hair in your salad and chlamydia.”

He followed up by labeling Vance’s explanation for the suspension “bullsh*t,” mocking the vice president’s career trajectory, and taking personal jabs at the White House’s penchant for heavy cosmetics.

“In three and a half years, I’m not the one who’s going to be doing mascara tutorials on YouTube,” Kimmel quipped, before twisting the knife further:
“How do we wind up with a president and a vice president who wear more makeup than Kylie Jenner and Lady Gaga combined?”

The audience howled, and within hours, the clip was trending across YouTube, TikTok, and X.

Are the Ratings Really That Bad?

Vance’s insult wasn’t entirely pulled from thin air. Late-night ratings across the board have been on the decline for years. Kimmel, like Fallon and Meyers, has struggled to match the highs of the 2010s, when viral sketches and political moments drove consistent attention.

But here’s the rub: after his suspension ended on Sept. 23, Kimmel returned to 6.26 million viewers — the largest audience in the history of Jimmy Kimmel Live! for a regularly scheduled episode. While subsequent nights cooled, his show’s numbers remain above pre-suspension averages, and his digital performance has been nothing short of explosive:

Monologues regularly notch millions of YouTube views within 24 hours.

Social media engagement has surged, with clips spreading well beyond ABC’s traditional broadcast reach.

His subscriber base on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok has ballooned since the suspension.

In other words, the “bad ratings” line doesn’t square with reality. Kimmel may not dominate linear TV the way Johnny Carson once did, but in a fragmented media landscape, he’s thriving.

Why Kimmel Keeps Fighting

Kimmel’s willingness to go toe-to-toe with the administration comes despite the very real risks. His suspension, sparked by FCC chairman Brendan Carr pressuring affiliates to drop the show, was a reminder that political attacks can have teeth.

Yet instead of retreating, Kimmel has doubled down. He seems to understand that the fight itself has become part of his brand — and part of what keeps audiences tuning in.

For viewers, there’s drama baked into every episode: Will Kimmel say something that provokes the White House again? Will ABC stand by him or cave under pressure? Could each show be his last? That uncertainty has created a new kind of must-watch late night.

Colbert’s Precedent: “Truthiness” as a Weapon

Kimmel isn’t the first host to weaponize political feuds. Stephen Colbert, perhaps more than anyone, pioneered the idea that a late-night desk could be a platform for sustained political satire.

On The Colbert Report (2005–2014), he played a caricature of a right-wing pundit, directly mocking the Bush administration and conservative media.

On The Late Show (2015–2026), Colbert shifted into his authentic self but kept politics front and center. His monologues targeting Trump became ratings gold, propelling him past Fallon in the late-night wars.

Yet Colbert’s run also shows the limits. In July 2025, CBS announced The Late Show would end next May, officially citing economic reasons tied to Paramount Global’s merger with Skydance. But the timing — paired with public pressure from Trump allies — made it look suspiciously political.

The lesson: speaking truth to power may bring short-term ratings victories but long-term vulnerability when corporations and regulators enter the mix.

Conan’s Warning: “Cowardice Is the Way”

When Conan O’Brien visited Colbert recently, he told a story — half joke, half parable — about the advice he once gave to fellow late-night hosts.

“Don’t ruffle feathers. Whatever you do, don’t speak truth to power. Cowardice is the way.”

It was satire, of course, but rooted in his own trauma from 2010, when NBC forced him out of The Tonight Show after less than a year to reinstate Jay Leno. Conan learned the hard way that even wildly talented hosts are expendable when corporate pressure builds.

Kimmel’s situation echoes Conan’s in that sense: he, too, is expendable if ABC decides the heat is too much. But unlike Conan in 2010, Kimmel seems determined to fight until the end.

Leno, Letterman, and the Politics of Playing Safe

Compare Kimmel and Colbert’s firebrand approaches to Jay Leno and David Letterman in the 1990s.

Leno rarely waded into deep political critique, preferring safe monologue jokes and celebrity interviews. That made him advertiser-friendly but also earned him the reputation of being bland.

Letterman was sharper, often cynical, but steered clear of becoming overtly partisan. His edge came from personality, not political combat.

Both men enjoyed long, stable runs. But they also rarely faced the kind of existential threats Kimmel and Colbert now do. The landscape has changed: late-night hosts are now expected to comment on politics, and silence is often seen as complicity.

The Trump Effect: Fighting Fire With Fire

Trump has long been media-savvy, and his attacks on entertainers often seem designed to generate headlines. From his rants about South Park to his lawsuit against 60 Minutes, he knows that every feud dominates the cycle.

For Kimmel, this creates a paradox: Trump’s ire may be dangerous, but it also fuels his popularity. Kimmel himself joked last week:

“We couldn’t have done it without you, Mr. President.”

It’s the Streisand Effect at work: the more Trump tries to silence entertainers, the more attention and cultural clout they gain.

Risks of Leaning Too Hard Into Politics

Still, the strategy is fraught. While political feuds boost viewership in the short term, they carry risks:

Audience Fatigue: Not every viewer wants partisan combat night after night. Colbert thrived during Trump’s first presidency, but his ratings dipped when viewers craved lighter fare.

Corporate Calculations: Networks may decide the political baggage outweighs the ratings bump, especially if regulators are leaning on them. That dynamic almost cost Kimmel his job permanently.

Echo Chamber Trap: Leaning too hard into politics can narrow the audience to true believers while alienating moderates or casual viewers.

Kimmel’s Brooklyn takedown of JD Vance shows he isn’t backing away, but the gamble is clear: if ABC flinches again, his time behind the desk could end abruptly.

The Future of Late Night

The genre itself is at a crossroads. CBS is abandoning late night after Colbert departs. NBC is in a carriage dispute with YouTube TV that threatens Fallon, Meyers, and SNL. Kimmel is under constant fire.

What’s left may be a smaller, scrappier late-night landscape where hosts survive not by avoiding controversy but by embracing it — and building digital-first followings that outlast their network slots.

Kimmel, with his massive YouTube reach, may be the template. Whether he remains on ABC or pivots to streaming, his bond with his audience could carry him forward, just as Conan carried his fans from NBC to TBS to podcasts.

Conclusion: Fighting Until the Last Joke

Jimmy Kimmel’s Brooklyn monologue wasn’t just a ratings stunt. It was a declaration of intent: he will not soften, he will not back down, and he will call “bullsh*t” when he sees it — even if the target is the vice president of the United States.

In doing so, he’s continuing a tradition that stretches from Colbert’s “truthiness” to Conan’s sardonic resilience to Letterman’s sardonic asides. Late night has always walked the line between comedy and cultural critique. Today, that line is sharper, riskier, and more consequential than ever.

Kimmel may not know how long ABC will let him walk it. But as long as Trump and JD Vance keep his name in their mouths, Kimmel will keep firing back — louder, sharper, and with the swagger of a host who knows the fight itself is the point.