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He’s back. Honestly, if you watched Jimmy Kimmel last night's monologue, you know the gloves aren't just off—they’ve been incinerated. After a wild 2025 that saw his show suspended and the late-night landscape shift like a California fault line, Kimmel seems to have found a new gear. It’s a mix of exhausted dad energy and "nothing left to lose" defiance.
Last night was a heavy one. He didn't just lean into the headlines; he basically tackled them. Between Trump floating the idea of skipping the next election and the ongoing chaos involving ICE in Minneapolis, Kimmel had a lot of ground to cover.
The "Skipping Elections" Comment That Set the Internet on Fire
The big moment in Jimmy Kimmel last night's monologue came when he addressed Donald Trump’s recent Reuters interview. If you missed it, the President basically hinted that since Republicans are likely to lose the midterms, maybe we just… shouldn’t have them?
"We can’t have an election soon enough," Kimmel quipped, which got a massive roar from the Hollywood studio audience. But then he took a sharp turn. He brought up White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who claimed the President was just being "facetious."
Kimmel’s response? "Facetious is a word he can neither spell nor define."
It’s that kind of biting, personal jab that defines the show lately. He’s not just talking about policy; he’s talking about the basic friction of reality. Kimmel pointed out the absurdity of a sitting President suggesting a pause on democracy because the polling looks bad. He compared it to a kid wanting to flip the Monopoly board because they landed on Boardwalk with three hotels on it.
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Math, Healthcare, and the 500% Discount
One of the more surreal segments of the night involved the administration’s "great healthcare plan." Trump has been promising a reveal for years, and yesterday he claimed prices would drop by 500%.
Kimmel, looking visibly confused, paused the clip.
"I'm no mathlete," he said, "but it is mathematically impossible to slash prices by more than 100%. If something is 100% off, it’s free. If it’s 500% off, are they paying me to get a colonoscopy? Because if so, I’m in, but I don't think that's how it works."
He attributed the error to a classic Trump-ism: "This is what happens when your dad buys you your business degree."
Why This Monologue Felt Different
There’s a tension in late-night right now. Ever since Kimmel’s show was briefly pulled off the air last September following his comments on the Charlie Kirk assassination, the stakes feel higher. You can tell he’s checking the legal boundaries in real-time.
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He even brought up the Nobel Peace Prize—specifically, the one María Corina Machado reportedly gave to Trump. Kimmel joked that Trump is probably "sucking on it like a pacifier."
But then he got serious.
He mentioned the ICE shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis. This wasn't a joke. Kimmel has been vocal about the "army of out-of-shape uncles" (his words) being recruited into ICE with only eight weeks of training. He offered a deal: if the administration pulls ICE out of Minneapolis, he’ll donate one of his own trophies to the cause. It’s a weird mix of comedy and genuine activism that has become his 2026 brand.
The Greenland Obsession Continues
You can't talk about Jimmy Kimmel last night's monologue without mentioning Greenland. Apparently, the President is still gunning for it. Kimmel updated the audience on NATO’s involvement, noting that Germany sent a whole 13 soldiers to help protect the territory.
"Thirteen guys," Kimmel laughed. "That’s not an army, that’s a bachelor party."
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Key Takeaways from the Monologue:
- The Midterm Threat: Kimmel highlighted the danger of normalizing the idea of "skipping" elections.
- The Math Gap: A breakdown of why a "500% price cut" is a literal impossibility.
- ICE Tensions: A somber look at the Minneapolis protests and the lack of training for new agents.
- The Nobel Prize: A mockery of the prestige being attached to the current administration.
What Most People Get Wrong About Late Night in 2026
Some critics say Kimmel is just "preaching to the choir." But if you look at the ratings from last night, that's not exactly true. His suspension in 2025 actually boosted his numbers across the board. People who don't even like his politics are tuning in just to see what he’ll say next, mostly because the threat of censorship made him a free-speech symbol for a minute.
He’s also leaning into his personal life more. He mentioned his son Billy’s health again, tying it back to the healthcare debate. It’s hard to call him a "Hollywood elite" when he’s talking about the same insurance nightmares everyone else is dealing with.
How to Stay Informed
If you’re looking to follow the fallout from this particular monologue, keep an eye on a few specific areas.
First, watch the White House press briefings. Karoline Leavitt usually responds to Kimmel’s bigger Jabs within 24 hours. Second, check the local news out of Minneapolis; the ICE situation Kimmel mentioned is escalating quickly, and his spotlight on it is putting pressure on local officials.
Lastly, just watch the clips yourself. Reading a summary is one thing, but seeing the timing—the way he pauses when he mentions the "Squeaker of the House" Mike Johnson—is where the real impact is.
Check out the official YouTube channel for the full 18-minute breakdown. It’s worth the watch if you want to understand the current temperature of American political satire.