Stephen Colbert; Jimmy Kimmel; Seth Meyers. Credit:Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty; Disney; Lloyd Bishop/NBC
Jimmy Kimmel is taunting the president with a little help from his friends.
The Jimmy Kimmel Live star shared a photo of himself with The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert and Late Night’s Seth Meyers posing in front of an audience at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Howard Gilman Opera House in New York City, where Kimmel is taping this week of shows.
Kimmel captioned the post, “Hi Donald!”
When reached for comment on the post by Entertainment Weekly, a White House spokesperson replied, “Who cares?”
Colbert, who shared the same post, is scheduled to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday, while Kimmel is scheduled to appear on Colbert’s The Late Show on the same night. Meyers was not listed on either show’s guest lineup, but it appears that he dropped in for JKL‘s segment with Colbert.
Meyers also shared another photo of the three comedians with the hashtag “#StrikeForceQuorum,” a reference to their previous collaboration, the Strike Force Five ,podcast which raised money for their writing staffs during the 2023 WGA strike (and also included Jimmy Fallon and John Oliver).
The official Jimmy Kimmel Live Instagram also showed footage of Meyers backstage at the show alongside his brother, Josh, who portrays California Governor Gavin Newsom on JKL. Meyers reshared that footage on his Instagram Stories, writing, “I thought this show had been canceled…what a pleasant surprise!!!!”
The comedians’ New York team-up came amid a tumultuous chapter in late night television that has seen Donald Trump publicly criticize all three hosts, who have all been vocal critics of his presidency.
The late night chaos began in July when CBS announced that The Late Show would end in May 2026, several days after Colbert criticized the network’s parent company, Paramount, for settling a lawsuit from Trump.
Some viewers connected the show’s demise to Colbert’s remarks and Paramount’s then-pending merger with Skydance — which was approved a few weeks after The Late Show‘s cancellation — but the network stated that it pulled the plug on the show as “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
Kimmel showed his support for Colbert at the time, writing, “Love you Stephen. F— you and all your Sheldons CBS.”
Meanwhile, Trump celebrated The Late Show’s cancellation on social media, writing, “I absolutely love that Colbert’ got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!”
Indeed, Kimmel was next. ABC pulled Live from the airwaves for six days after affiliate groups like Nexstar and Sinclair preempted the show citing the host’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer Tyler Robinson — a move that was suggested by FCC chair Brendan Carr, who also criticized Kimmel’s comments.
Trump also gloated during Kimmel’s suspension. “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED,” he wrote. “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible.”
The president also called for Fallon and Meyers to lose their shows. “That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC,” he wrote in the same post. “Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!”
However, ABC reinstated Kimmel after six days off the air, as the show was suspended and not “cancelled” as the president falsely suggested. Kimmel’s show received its highest
ratings in a decade despite Sinclair and Nexstar continuing to preempt the show during its first night. (Both affiliate groups have since ended their preemptions.)
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Trump reacted to Live’s return with fury: “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled!” he wrote. “I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative.”
Colbert rejoiced at the announcement of Kimmel’s return to the air. “Wonderful news for my dear friend Jimmy and his amazing staff,” Colbert said on his show. “Once more, I am the only martyr in late nights. Wait, unless, CBS, you want to announce anything?”