For more than a decade, Jimmy Kimmel has made a nightly ritual of skewering political figures — particularly those on the far-right. But during Tuesday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the longtime late-night host found himself in unfamiliar territory: agreeing with one of his favorite targets.

“I know this sounds crazy,” Kimmel told his audience, pausing for effect, “but I will say it for the second time in a month: Marjorie Taylor Greene is right.”

The crowd gasped and laughed. Kimmel grimaced. “I know,” he added, mock-gagging. “I need something to wash out my mouth.”

It was a rare moment of bipartisan alignment for a comedian who has built much of his modern monologue persona on mocking conservative politics. Yet Kimmel’s brief truce with Greene — over her recent support for extending health insurance tax credits — offered a glimpse of something deeper: an era of late-night commentary where even sharp critics are occasionally finding common ground with their usual punching bags.

The Setup: Greene’s Surprising Proposal

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican congresswoman from Georgia, is known for her unwavering support of former President Donald Trump and her penchant for promoting conspiracy theories. From “Jewish space lasers” to election denialism, Greene has been a recurring character in Kimmel’s comedic universe — the kind of figure who inspires punchlines even before the monologue begins.

But in recent days, Greene has taken a surprising stance, calling for the extension of federal health insurance tax credits amid the government’s budget impasse. While her motivation may be partly political, the policy itself aligns with what Democrats and healthcare advocates have long championed.

That twist caught Kimmel’s attention. “You can mark this day down in history,” he told his audience. “Because it’s not every day that Marjorie Taylor Greene gets something right.”

When the Joke Is on the Host

The confession triggered laughter, applause, and more than a few shocked expressions in the studio audience. For Kimmel, who has spent years ridiculing Greene’s rhetoric, it was both a punchline and a genuine acknowledgment.

It wasn’t even the first time this year he’s found himself in agreement with her. Back in September, he offered “reluctant praise” after Greene suggested that Donald Trump meet with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring — a statement many saw as out of character for her usual talking points.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Kimmel said then, shaking his head. “But good going, Marjorie Taylor Greene.”

These moments of overlap are fleeting but notable, especially in a late-night landscape where partisanship has become the default tone.

Kimmel’s Complicated Relationship With Politics

Kimmel wasn’t always a politically charged host. When he first took over Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2003, his show leaned more toward irreverent humor, viral sketches, and celebrity antics — a formula closer to what Jimmy Fallon does today.

That changed in 2017, when Kimmel began speaking out about healthcare reform following his son’s congenital heart condition and subsequent surgeries. His emotional monologues on the Affordable Care Act and gun control drew both praise and backlash, cementing his evolution from class clown to conscience-driven commentator.

Since then, Kimmel has used his platform to challenge political hypocrisy, advocate for social causes, and lampoon Trump-era extremism. Greene, with her fiery rhetoric and headline-grabbing statements, became an easy recurring foil.

That’s why Tuesday’s moment landed with such impact: it wasn’t just funny — it was unexpected.

The “Strange Bedfellows” Effect

Kimmel’s offhand agreement with Greene reflects a phenomenon becoming more common across political media: temporary alliances formed around single issues.

In this case, Kimmel’s support for accessible healthcare overlaps with Greene’s tactical push to extend tax credits. The irony wasn’t lost on the host, who played up the absurdity of finding himself aligned with a woman he’s previously called “Congress’ answer to a YouTube comment section.”

Still, Kimmel’s willingness to acknowledge a good idea, even from an adversary, fits his comedic philosophy: attack hypocrisy, not identity. “If you can’t admit when the other side does something right,” he once said in an interview, “you’re not really being honest — or funny.”

Conservatives Rallying Behind Kimmel

Even more surprising is that Greene isn’t the only Republican Kimmel has found common ground with lately.

When ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! last month over a controversial monologue referencing the death of activist Charlie Kirk, several conservative figures publicly defended him.

Senator Ted Cruz, commentator Ben Shapiro, and pundit Candace Owens — frequent targets of Kimmel’s jokes — criticized the suspension as censorship. Cruz tweeted that, while he and Kimmel rarely agreed, “he has a right to free speech like anyone else.”

When Kimmel returned from his weeklong hiatus, he made sure to acknowledge the support — albeit with his signature sarcasm. “I want to thank all the Republicans who came to my defense,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong — I still think you’re all nuts. But thank you.”

The gesture revealed something quietly radical: in an age where comedians are often cast as cultural warriors, Kimmel’s brand of satire may still have room for nuance.

Late Night’s Shifting Lines

Kimmel’s rare moment of bipartisan agreement comes at a time when late-night television itself is reexamining its role.

Stephen Colbert’s Late Show is set to end in 2026 as CBS moves away from politically driven programming. Seth Meyers continues to dissect current events on NBC’s Late Night, but his audience remains niche. Jimmy Fallon, by contrast, has doubled down on being apolitical — a strategy that’s kept him safe but earned accusations of irrelevance.

Kimmel, meanwhile, sits in the middle: still outspoken, still political, but increasingly aware of the fatigue audiences feel around constant outrage. His recent willingness to admit shared views with ideological opponents could signal an evolution — or at least a new phase in the ongoing experiment of political late-night comedy.

“He’s not changing his politics,” says media analyst Laurie Starke. “He’s changing his tone. Viewers can tell when someone’s being fair, even if they disagree. That might be why Kimmel’s show is gaining back some of the audience it lost during the more polarizing years.”

A Risk Worth Taking

Of course, Kimmel’s “agreeable” moments are still framed in humor. His jokes about needing to “wash out [his] mouth” serve as insurance against accusations of going soft. But beneath the punchlines lies something genuine — an attempt to acknowledge complexity without surrendering conviction.

In an era where late-night jokes can trigger boycotts or suspensions, that’s a risky balancing act. Yet it may be exactly what audiences want now: hosts who can criticize, empathize, and laugh at their own discomfort all at once.

That mix has served Kimmel well since his return from suspension. His ratings have rebounded, his poll numbers (ironically) now exceed Trump’s, and even his critics admit that he’s become one of the few late-night figures still willing to surprise them.

The Return of the “Human” Host

What makes Kimmel’s evolution compelling is its unpredictability. He’s still capable of fiery monologues, but he’s also willing to laugh at himself — to admit, however reluctantly, when he agrees with someone like Marjorie Taylor Greene.

That humility stands out in a polarized media environment where most entertainers double down on their audiences’ expectations. “When Kimmel jokes that he needs to wash out his mouth, he’s saying what a lot of us are thinking,” said cultural critic Daniel Fiene. “He’s reminding viewers that politics doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game.”

It’s unlikely this truce will last long. Greene remains a perennial source of comic material for Jimmy Kimmel Live! and will no doubt return to being the butt of Kimmel’s jokes the next time she tweets something outrageous.

But for one night, at least, host and congresswoman occupied the same side of an issue — and Kimmel, ever the performer, milked that irony for every laugh it was worth.

Closing Thoughts

Jimmy Kimmel’s surprise endorsement of a Marjorie Taylor Greene policy wasn’t a political shift so much as a comedic moment of clarity. It showed that even in a late-night landscape defined by partisanship, a well-timed acknowledgment of agreement can be more shocking — and more human — than any punchline.

As Kimmel wrapped up his monologue, he gave the moment its proper weight: “It’s weird agreeing with her,” he said, shaking his head, “but maybe this is how world peace starts.”

It was a joke, of course — but one that carried an edge of truth.