Los Angeles, CA – The clock struck 11:35 p.m. PT on November 28, and *Jimmy Kimmel Live!* wasn’t just back from Thanksgiving break – it was a powder keg with a lit fuse. What started as a routine post-holiday monologue morphed into a blistering, unfiltered assault on President Donald Trump, courtesy of host Jimmy Kimmel and a surprise guest appearance by comedian Rosie O’Donnell. The duo’s tag-team takedown – a razor-sharp dissection of Trump’s recent Truth Social rants, Epstein quips, and free-speech crusades – didn’t just land punches; it unleashed a firestorm that left the studio audience in hysterics, ABC executives scrambling, and Trump’s Mar-a-Lago war room in full meltdown mode.
It was the kind of moment late-night TV dreams of: raw, relentless, and replay-proof. Kimmel, fresh off a contentious September suspension of his show amid Trump-era censorship battles, opened with a smirk and a stack of printouts – Trump’s latest barrage of 47 posts in under five hours, a “social media blitzkrieg” that ping-ponged from Biden smears to holiday gripes. “The man who’s allegedly running the country banged out an onslaught of posts and reposts… from 7:09 p.m. until almost midnight,” Kimmel deadpanned, holding up his phone like exhibit A. “Do you know how long you have to be on the toilet to post that much?” The audience – a sold-out crowd of 200, heavy on Hollywood liberals still buzzing from the election hangover – erupted in gasps that turned to guffaws. Kimmel leaned in, eyes twinkling with mischief: “And the posts? All over the place. Obama, Biden, sedition, Christmas… At one point, he inquired about getting a reverse mortgage on the White House. Tell us again how sleepy Joe is, will you?”
But that was just the appetizer. As the laughter crested, Kimmel pivoted to Trump’s renewed feud with ABC, sparked by a November 20 monologue where Kimmel joked about Trump’s Epstein ties – a callback to the president’s infamous “I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him” line. Trump had fired back on Truth Social, demanding ABC “drop” Kimmel like a “bad habit.” Kimmel, unfazed, fired right back: “If anyone knows about bad ratings, it’s that guy. Last time you tried to get me fired, your approval ratings tanked harder than your casinos.” The studio exploded – applause thundering like a stadium wave, with one front-row fan leaping to her feet, screaming, “Get him, Jimmy!” Kimmel milked it, channeling Trump’s baritone: “Quiet, Piggy!” – a savage nod to the president’s recent slur against a female reporter. The line drew the night’s loudest roar, a mix of shock and schadenfreude that had producers signaling cutaways in vain.
Enter Rosie O’Donnell, stage left at 11:42 p.m. – unannounced, unscripted, and unleashing 18 years of pent-up venom from her legendary 2006 *View* clash with Trump. The 63-year-old comedian, who fled to Ireland post-election but returned for a Broadway stint, strode out in a red “Resist” tee, microphone in hand like a battle standard. “Jimmy, you started without me?” she quipped, hugging Kimmel before turning to the camera. “Donald, we never thought we’d be living what we’re living right now. Re-electing the man who orchestrated an insurrection? The adjudicated rapist?” O’Donnell didn’t stop there. She eviscerated Trump’s “free speech” executive order – the one he touted in his 2025 inaugural as a blow against “left-wing censorship” – by contrasting it with his ABC pressure tactics and the September suspension of *Kimmel Live!* over a monologue on the Charlie Kirk assassination. “You suspended Jimmy for speaking truth, then cry about censorship? Hypocrite much?” The crowd lost it – a cacophony of cheers, whistles, and one audible sob from a staffer in the wings. O’Donnell capped her five-minute blitz with a zinger: “I’ll go when you go, OK? Let’s ride off into the sunset together like Butch Cassidy and the Suntan Kid.” Kimmel high-fived her as the band struck up a mock “Hail to the Chief” remix laced with clown horns. Fade to commercial: 11:50 p.m., and America was already ablaze.
