Jimmy Kimmel had a lot to say this year, much of it in opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump. With his nightly mockery of the second-term leader, including a string of biting nicknames including Fiberace, Nostra-Dumbass, Count Flatula, and his most recent, Rant-a-Claus, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! host has made no bones about his disdain for No. 47.
And while his raging against the machine seemingly got Kimmel briefly suspended from his late night gig in September following the host’s comments about late Turning Point leader Charlie Kirk, Kimmel will seemingly get the last word when he delivers the traditional “alternative Christmas message” on British broadcaster Channel 4 on Christmas day.
“From a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year,” Kimmel is expected to say according to a release announcing what will reportedly be a “deeply personal and characteristically jovial” address by the American host. Kimmel’s appearance is in keeping with other in-the-news guests who’ve delivered comments on Channel 4 to end the year in the past, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and Afghanistan war veteran Maj. Andrew Stockton.
According the Channel 4, the tradition, which began in 1993, is meant as a counterpoint the the British monarch’s annual televised address to the nation, which airs at 3 p.m. GMT on Christmas Day on the BBC, aimed at bringing viewers a “thought-provoking and often very personal reflection that is pertinent to the events of the past year. The message comes at the end of a year when US politics has featured heavily in news and current affairs programming across Channel 4 and other UK broadcasters.”
Kimmel aired his final episode of the year last Thursday in which the host, who is unafraid to show emotion during his nightly monologues, fought back tears as he ran down a rough year, thanking his viewers for having his back during a “hard year” in which his show was briefly pulled off the air by ABC after complaints from affiliates — and the White House — about his comments regarding the shooting of Kirk. Kimmel also got teary last month when his lifelong friend and show bandleader, Cleto Escobedo III, died at age 59.
Though not the first American to deliver the counterpoint to the royal message — civil rights icon Jessie Jackson did the honors in 1994 — Kimmel’s comments will come at a time when American broadcasters are increasingly under fire from the White House, with Donald Trump repeatedly calling out news divisions for what he claims is their inaccurate reporting while also insulting reporters with such sexist school yard taunts as “piggy,” “stupid” and “ugly.”
In his final monologue of the year, Kimmel ended with a message of hope. “I also believe it is important that we as Americans let our friends in other countries… know that a lot of us are not ok with what is happening,” he said. “There is still much more good in this country than bad, and we hope that you will bear with us during this extended psychotic episode that we’re in the middle of.”
According to Variety, Kimmel signed a new deal with ABC parent company Disney earlier this month that will keep him on the air through 2027.
Kimmel’s Channel 4 address will air at 5:45 p.m. GMT on Thursday (Dec. 25).
