Jimmy Kimmel speaks onstage during the Oscars show at the 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 15, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake
(Los Angeles, California) – Jimmy Kimmel is facing backlash after making a joke about Rudy Giuliani shortly before the former New York City mayor was hospitalized.
The late-night host made the remark during his ongoing feud with Giuliani, who had recently insulted Kimmel publicly. Kimmel fired back with a joke that critics now say looks especially ugly given Giuliani’s reported medical emergency days later.
Kimmel’s defenders on social media have argued that the joke was part of late-night comedy and was made before Giuliani’s hospitalization became public. But critics say the comment shows how nasty political entertainment has become, especially when the target is a conservative figure.
The controversy fits into a broader complaint from the right: that late-night hosts often treat Republicans and Trump allies with a level of cruelty they would never use against Democrats.
