Jimmy Kimmel says he lost at least half his fan base over anti-Trump jokes
He said he told ABC executives years ago that he would quit the show if they forced him to be more neutral with his comedy
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jimmy Kimmel this week said that he has lost at least half of his fanbase due to his anti-Trump jokes on his late-night show.
"I have lost half of my fans — maybe more than that," the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" host said on Stitcher's "Naked Lunch" podcast Thursday, adding that "10 years ago among Republicans I was the most popular talk show host," according to research.
He said when former President Trump was first running for office ABC executives "hinted" he should back off on his jokes about the candidate.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I just said, ‘If that’s what you want to do, I understand and I don’t begrudge you for it, but I’m not going to do that,’" the comedian told co-hosts Phil Rosenthal and David Wild.
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, left, said he has lost "half of my fans — maybe more than that" because of his jokes about former President Trump, right. (Presley Ann/MANDEL NGAN / AFP)
He said he agreed that being more neutral in his comedy would help the ratings and he told executives, "If you want somebody else to host the show, then that’s fine. That’s OK with me. I’m just not going to do it like that."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He said the executives backed off because they knew he was "serious."
Kimmel added, "I couldn’t live with myself [otherwise]," as Rosenthal claimed the host was doing a "public service" with his show.
Then-candidate Donald Trump was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel's show in 2016. (Randy Holmes/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kimmel said he doesn’t think of what he does in that "grandiose of a way" but "I love this country too. That flag doesn’t belong to them. This is ours. And when I see somebody coming in and ruining it I’m going to say something about it."
In 2019, Jimmy Kimmel sarcastically saluted the midpoint of Trump's first term with "Jimmy Kimmel Live Intermission Accomplished: A Halftime Tribute to Trump." (Randy Holmes/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
He said he’s "proud" to be speaking against Trump but feels like "there’s a sacrifice you make when it comes to your audience and you could do pretty well if you just stayed down the middle."
He also joked that he hopes that he’s on the air when "Trump goes to jail."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kimmel’s show has been on the air since 2003 and ratings have dropped substantially in the last few years along with the other late-night programs.
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"No one is watching network television anymore," Kimmel said in his interview, acknowledging that most people watch his show online. His show’s YouTube channel has 18.9 million subscribers.