Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel took aim at President Donald Trump during his Monday monologue, declaring that he is now “more popular than the president of the United States” after a new YouGov poll showed him with a slightly higher favorability rating.
The poll found that 44% of respondents viewed Kimmel favorably compared to 41% for Trump. Kimmel’s unfavorable rating was 41%, while Trump’s stood at 54%, according to the survey.
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“I am more popular than the president of the United States,” Kimmel said. “You remember the guy who keeps saying I have no ratings? Well, that makes two of us.”
Kimmel mocked Trump’s low approval rating, joking that his should be higher, given his comparatively cleaner record.
KIMMEL: “According to a new poll … I am more popular than the President of the United States … They polled more than 1,000 people and I lead Trump by 16 points.” pic.twitter.com/UbjoNqQs72
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) October 7, 2025
“Considering the fact that I’m not a convicted felon friend of Jeffrey Epstein, and I’ve never paid off a porn star, sent a team of masked goons into a park to pull an old lady away from her grandchildren, I feel like my rating should be higher, maybe?” Kimmel said. “At this point, finding a toenail in your salad has a 7-point lead over Donald Trump.”
Kimmel, a longtime critic of Trump, has been especially pointed in recent weeks, following the brief suspension of his late-night show in September after controversial remarks about how the president mourned the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The latest jab comes as Kimmel’s own ratings have dipped following his brief post-suspension surge.
Viewership for Jimmy Kimmel Live! dropped 71% since his September return and 85% among key 25-54 demographic viewers, according to Nielsen estimates.
Meanwhile, Fox News’s Gutfeld! continues to dominate the late-night slot, averaging 2.8 million total viewers — about 49% higher than Kimmel’s audience.
Still, Kimmel appears unfazed, continuing to use his platform to lampoon Trump and his allies.
As he stuck with his anti-Trump comedy, rival host Jimmy Fallon took a different tone last week, telling CNBC that his goal is to stay nonpartisan.
“Our show’s never really been that political,” Fallon said. “We hit both sides equally, and we try to make everybody laugh.”
In contrast to Kimmel’s politically charged monologues, Fallon has been leaning heavily into pop culture moments and celebrity interviews, while keeping his show away from Washington drama.
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Fallon’s Monday night episode reflected that lighter approach, featuring Taylor Swift in her first late-night appearance since 2022. The pop superstar, dressed in a sparkly silver gown, joined Fallon to promote her new album, The Life of a Showgirl.
Monday’s show marked Swift’s seventh appearance on The Tonight Show. While the segment was billed as an interview, Swift and Fallon broke down several tracks from her new album — “Opalite,” “Wood,” and “The Fate of Ophelia” — as the studio audience sang along.