While Donald Trump and the White House have engaged in verbal back-and-forths with several late-night talk show hosts, the bulk of those have arguably been with Jimmy Kimmel. The Live! star has notably taken multiple shots at POTUS over the years and received blistering responses as a result. In more than a few of those cases, Kimmel has directly addressed the sentiments shared by Trump and co. on air. And, just recently, Kimmel responded to the assertion that he supposedly has a “peanut-sized brain.”
What Exactly Did The White House Say About Jimmy Kimmel?
It’s during Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s opening monologues that viewers typically hear the titular host’s thoughts on President Trump and other political matters. During the November 9 broadcast that aired amid the 2026 TV schedule, Kimmel discussed a statement that was recently released by White House spokesperson Davis Dingle. As can be seen on YouTube, Kimmel laid out the message, which not only included comments about his intelligence but also took aim at his skills as a host and more:
Then the White House got back to the important business of attacking me. I got another statement from White House spokesboy Davis Dingle, who wrote, ‘Jimmy Kimmel’s case of Trump Derangement Syndrome is so advanced that it has completely rotted his peanut-sized brain. He’s far more entertaining when you’re laughing at him than with him. But unfortunately, his real talent is his failing ratings.
Just weeks ago, Dingle chastised Kimmel via another statement and, at that point, he declared that the media personality was “so devoid of actual talent that nobody with any common sense would ever watch him unless it was to laugh at his miserable failures.” And, days prior, President Trump insulted Kimmel as well, calling him a “loser” after the host made jokes about the attendance level at his recent rallies. Kimmel responded with quips while recapping those situations on air, and he did the same thing this time around.
Jimmy Kimmel Drops A Joke In Response To The WH’s Latest Comments
Ultimately, Kimmel didn’t seem too fazed by the sentiments shared by Dingle. With that, he proceeded to share a jokey pitch to the White House employee:
Sick burn, bro. You know what? You should enter a rap battle spitting dope rhymes like that.
Kimmel didn’t finish there, as he also mused that “Trump now has interns insulting me.” As of this writing, the WH hasn’t responded to that “rap battle” comment. Overall, though, this marks just another chapter in the Kimmel/White House/Trump saga. The verbal skirmishes have become so notable at this point that fellow late-night TV hosts Seth Meyers and John Oliver have joked that Trump hates Kimmel the most amongst them and their peers. Kimmel hasn’t just dropped jokes when discussing the current administration, though.
At this point, Kimmel is of the belief that the late-night TV world is “being poisoned” in part due to this political landscape. Months ago, he was also asked what he believed would help save the format, and Kimmel got political by saying, “A different president would be a good start.” On that note, President Trump still has two more years in office, and it remains to be seen what kind of barbs his administration will trade with Kimmel moving forward.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.
