American television host Jimmy Kimmel delivered a pre-recorded Christmas Day message to viewers in the United Kingdom as part of Channel 4’s annual alternative holiday broadcast, a tradition the network began in 1993 as a counterpoint to the British monarch’s Christmas address. Channel 4 has described the segment as a platform for personal reflections connected to events of the year, and Kimmel was selected to fill that role for its 2025 airing.
Speaking directly to a UK audience, Kimmel opened his remarks by referencing the political climate in the United States, stating, “tyranny is booming over here.” The appearance followed several months of controversy surrounding his ABC program, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which was temporarily removed from the air in September after remarks made during a monologue prompted complaints from viewers, advertisers, and broadcast affiliates. ABC, its parent company Disney, and affiliated stations responded by briefly suspending the show, with broadcast group Nexstar citing Kimmel’s “offensive and insensitive” comments “at a critical time in our national political discourse,” and stating that the company wanted to “move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”
The show later returned to its regular time slot. Addressing that episode during his Channel 4 message, Kimmel said the program’s reinstatement was the result of public pressure. He attributed the decision to what he described as widespread support, saying “millions and millions of people” spoke out in defense of the show and free expression. No independent figures were cited during the broadcast to quantify that support.
Kimmel also referenced his ongoing criticism of President Donald Trump and the White House. Commenting on reports that the president had expressed frustration with him, Kimmel told viewers, “You may have read in your colorful 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,” according to the Los Angeles Times. He later added, “And because so many people spoke out, we came back. Our show came back stronger than ever. We won, the president lost, and now I’m back on the air every night giving the most powerful politician on Earth a right, and richly deserved, bollocking.”
During the address, Kimmel used humor and satire to describe American political leadership, referring to the president as “King Donny the 8th.” He continued, “We don’t have a problem with your king, just the guy who thinks he’s our king,” before apologizing to viewers for what he characterized as strain on U.S. democratic institutions. He closed part of the message with an appeal to the international audience, saying, “Don’t give up on us. We’re going through a bit of a wobble right now, but we’ll come around.”
The controversy that preceded Kimmel’s suspension stemmed from comments made on his show following a high-profile political killing, which drew criticism across the political spectrum. After returning to the air, Kimmel addressed the matter in a monologue that some viewers and commentators said did not fully acknowledge the concerns raised, while others viewed it as a defense of comedic expression and editorial independence. The episode highlighted the ongoing tension between entertainment, political commentary, and corporate broadcasting standards in the United States, particularly during periods of heightened political division and scrutiny.
For UK audiences, the broadcast offered a snapshot of those debates from an American media figure, while for U.S. viewers it underscored how domestic political and cultural disputes increasingly resonate beyond national borders, especially when amplified through international platforms and longstanding public institutions.
