There are presidential scandals… and then there is whatever this volcanic explosion between Donald Trump and Jimmy Kimmel has become. What started as late-night jokes turned into a years-long war — a war so personal, so unhinged, that Trump literally tried to get Kimmel fired, censored, and silenced.
And now, with the Epstein files racing toward Trump’s desk, the feud has detonated into something far bigger than comedy.

For years, Trump has dismissed the Epstein file controversy as a “distraction,” insisting he has nothing to hide. But the political dam finally cracked.
Both the House and Senate passed the Epstein file release bill — and they passed it by overwhelming, historic margins.
The House: 427–1.
The Senate: unanimous consent.
Even MAGA Republicans didn’t dare stand up and block it.

It was a moment that should have terrified Trump more than any joke Jimmy Kimmel has ever told.

And when reporters asked Trump the most basic question — Why not release the files immediately? — Trump exploded like a man caught with his hand hovering over a shredder.
His response wasn’t presidential.
It wasn’t coherent.
It wasn’t even subtle.

“You are a terrible reporter… horrible… insubordinate… terrible person!”

All because someone asked why he wouldn’t release documents he claims show he has “nothing to hide.”

The meltdown wasn’t surprising.
Trump’s pressure campaign to stop the vote had already collapsed earlier in the day.
Speaker Mike Johnson — “MAG-a-Mike,” as Kimmel calls him — spent two months trying to delay the vote, dodge the press, and hide behind procedural excuses.
But Democrats outmaneuvered him at every turn and forced Republicans to vote in broad daylight where the world could see.

It worked.

The bill passed.
The Senate passed it again.
And now everyone is watching one man: Donald Trump.

But the political earthquake isn’t the full story.
This new eruption has roots stretching back nearly a decade — an obsessive, personal feud that Trump has never recovered from.

The Trump vs. Kimmel War — A Battle Trump Cannot Win

Jimmy Kimmel did what no Democrat, no journalist, and no prosecutor has been able to do:
He got inside Donald Trump’s head and refused to leave.

Night after night, monologue after monologue, Kimmel mocked Trump’s hair, his ego, his lies, his spray tan, his tantrums, his scandals — and Trump snapped.

Not once.
Not twice.

But hundreds of times.

Trump has attacked Kimmel so obsessively that staffers told Rolling Stone the President of the United States personally called Disney executives trying to get Kimmel fired.

Think about that:

While the country faced immigration crises, national security threats, and foreign conflicts, the President was rage-dialing corporate executives because a comedian hurt his feelings.

A former Trump official admitted:

“At least one call was made to Disney that I know of. Nobody thought it would change anything — but Trump was focused on it, so we had to do something.”

This wasn’t a one-time meltdown.
This was a pattern.

Trump tried to censor Kimmel in 2018.
Trump attacked him again in 2023.
Trump ranted on social media during the Oscars in 2024 — and Kimmel read Trump’s rant live on the show, humiliating him in front of millions.

Trump even convinced allies in the FCC to threaten ABC’s broadcasting license.
It didn’t work.

Kimmel kept roasting him.
Trump kept unraveling.

And then came 2025 — the year Trump tried to finish the job.

2025: Trump Gets Jimmy Kimmel Suspended — And It Backfires

After Kimmel mocked Trump and Charlie Kirk during a live monologue, Trump’s FCC allies launched a political attack on ABC.
Major affiliates refused to air Kimmel’s show.
ABC panicked.
Kimmel was suspended.

Trump celebrated like he’d just conquered a nation.

“Great news for America!”
“Kimmel has zero talent!”
“The show is cancelled!”

But six days later, something astonishing happened.

Viewers revolted.
Disney subscribers canceled their accounts.
Comedians from every network rallied behind Kimmel.
Even conservatives like Mitch McConnell and Ted Cruz defended free speech.

Under immense pressure, ABC folded.
Kimmel was reinstated — to the biggest ratings of his career.

Trump went berserk.

He launched a multi-page rant on Truth Social, insulting ABC, Kimmel, Disney, reporters, and anyone within digital reach.
He demanded ABC be stripped of its license.
He threatened lawsuits.
He claimed victories that didn’t exist.
He insisted Kimmel had no talent, even as millions tuned in to watch him return.

It was the most spectacular self-own in modern political history.

Trump wanted to silence a comedian.
Instead, he made him more powerful than ever.

And Now… the Epstein Files Hit Trump’s Desk

With the bill passed overwhelmingly, Trump faces a nightmare scenario.

One signature could unleash a trove of documents that:

– expose private communications
– reveal past associations
– implicate global elites
– and potentially destroy careers, reputations, and political futures

Democrats want everything released.
Republicans — surprisingly — mostly do too.
The only people still resisting?

Trump
Pam Bondi
Kash Patel

and a handful of political operatives who have every reason to be terrified.

Rep. Thomas Massie didn’t mince words:

“If your billionaire donors went to Rape Island — tough.
This is not a cover-up anymore.”

The room gasped.

But he wasn’t finished.

“We’ll know this bill worked when rich men are perp-walked in handcuffs.”

And that is the moment Trump’s panic became unmistakable.

The Reporter Who Broke Trump’s Composure

During a White House press event, ABC’s Mary Bruce asked the question Trump has avoided for years:

“Why wait? Why not release the Epstein files right now?”

Trump’s response was so hysterical it barely made the news — because his scandals now compete with themselves.

“Your attitude is terrible…
You’re horrible…
You’re insubordinate…
Terrible person…
Terrible reporter!”

The meltdown was instant.
Raw.
Unfiltered.

Trump wasn’t angry at the question.
He was angry at the truth behind it:

He cannot control the Epstein file release anymore.
He cannot rewrite this chapter.
He cannot stop the vote.
And he cannot silence Jimmy Kimmel.

Trump tried to end Jimmy Kimmel.

Instead, Jimmy Kimmel exposed Donald Trump more thoroughly than any politician ever has.