Jimmy Kimmel has called 2025 a 'really great year for fascism' in his Alternative Christmas Message.
The US chat show host took to Channel 4 to deliver his scathing message to the US government, months after he was temporarily taken off the air for comments he made about the late Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel's suspension became a talking point about freedom of speech and how the Trump administration was handling it, though the 58-year-old would be reinstated just one week after being removed.
Trump welcomed the suspension of Kimmel in September, even claiming that certain networks should have their licences 'taken away'.
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The presenter has long been a critic of Donald Trump and his policies, with Channel 4 previously explaining that the speech will 'reflect on the past few months in a deeply personal and characteristically jovial address'.
It is an 'alternate' speech just hours after the King's address, with Kimmel taking aim at the US administration and touching on his return to the screen.
As part of Channel 4's 2025 Alternative Christmas Message, Kimmel touched on his TV suspension, describing it as a 'miracle' as he claimed that tyranny is 'booming' in the US.
He added: “Our show came back stronger than ever. We won, the President lost and now I’m back on the air every night givin’ the most powerful politician on earth a right and richly deserved b*****king.”
Early on in the speech, he boldly claimed: "I can tell you that, from a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year."
Opening up on his temporary suspension, Kimmel said: "You may have read in your colourful newspapers my country’s President would like to shut me up because I don’t adore him in the way he likes to be adored.
"The American government made a threat against me and the company I work for, and all of a sudden we were off the air."
He then said what happened next was a 'Christmas miracle' in September, explaining that millions fought his corner, as the presenter claimed: "People who never watched my show, people who were on record saying they hate my show spoke out, they marched, they did this all to support the right to a free expression of speech and because so many people spoke out, we came back."
Kimmel nicknamed Trump 'King Donny the Eighth', joking that he calls for 'executions', adding that they aren't proud to have a 'king'.
He admitted: "We, well some of us, just have a problem with the guy who thinks he is our king."
The talk show host said that the US are 'figuratively and literally tearing down the structures of our democracy', referring to 'free press, science, medicine, and judicial independence' to prove his point.
"We want you to know or, at least I want you to know, that we’re not all like him. We’re not all like that," Kimmel stated.
The comedian then signed off on his Alternative Christmas Message with some jokes, claiming that he knows 'from seeing Love Actually' that the nations have 'a special relationship'.
He asked for 'about three years' and urged Brits not to 'give up' on them, as he quipped: "We are not bright. We’re Americans."
The 'alternative' holiday address has been an annual broadcast from Channel 4, with stars such as Sir Stephen Fry, Danny Dyer, Sharon Osbourne and Jamie Oliver presenting it in the past.
Political figures such as whistle-blower Edward Snowden and the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have also fronted the speech in the past.
Topics: Jimmy Kimmel, Channel 4, Donald Trump, TV, Celebrity
Joshua Nair