Jimmy Kimmel fought back tears during his final monologue of 2025 as he thanked fans for helping him get through a tumultuous year, one that started with the L.A. fires and continued through Kimmel’s ongoing feud with Donald Trump. Of course the low point of Kimmel’s year was when ABC pulled his late night talk show off the air after two large owners of affiliate TV stations, Nexstar and Sinclair, complained about a monologue in which Kimmel discussed Charlie Kirk’s alleged shooter.
“This has been a strange year. It’s been a hard year,” Kimmel said at the beginning of the last “Jimmy Kimmel Live” episode of the year. “We’ve had some lows, we’ve had some highs. For me, maybe more than any year of my life. I’m crying already, I’m sorry.”
Kimmel fought through tears and continued, “I just want to say that we appreciate your support, your enthusiasm, and not just for watching. This year, you literally pulled us out of a hole, and we cannot thank you enough personally.”
But it wasn’t just Kimmel’s suspension that made 2025 such a turbulent year for the late night host. Without naming any one specific tragedy, Kimmel noted that “many awful and destructive acts” engulfed the United States this year.
“When I hear from people who tell me that they watch our show, and the shows that my friends and colleagues do on the other channels, and that it makes them feel less crazy, it makes me feel less crazy too,” Kimmel said. “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. 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.”
Variety reported earlier this month that Kimmel struck a new deal with Disney to extend his late night run for another year, which will keep “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on the air through 2027. Kimmel’s previous deal with Disney was believed to expire in 2026.
Since returning to the air after his suspension, Kimmel has not gotten any softer when it comes to attacking Trump. The host recently condemned Trump’s response to the murder of filmmaker Rob Reiner, who Trump called “deranged” and speculated that his death was “due to the anger” he caused others by being anti-Trump.
“What we need at a time like this, besides common sense when it comes to guns and mental health care, is compassion and leadership. We did not get that from our president, because he has none of it to give. Instead, we got a fool rambling about nonsense,” Kimmel said. “It’s so hateful and vile. When I first saw it, I thought it was fake. My wife showed it to me this morning. I was like, ‘Even for him, that seemed like too much.’ But nothing is ever too much for him.”
Watch Kimmel’s final monologue of 2025 in the video below.
