Jimmy Kimmel makes savage swipe at JD Vance as he celebrates his return to all broadcast channels
Jimmy Kimmel aimed a barbed comment at Vice President JD Vance after the politician made ‘fairytale’ remarks about his temporary TV suspension.
Kimmel, 57, was taken off air last month over comments he made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot in Utah during a Prove Me Wrong event on September 10.
ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 17, causing Hollywood icons and political figures alike to condemn the decision.
More than 400 celebrities signed an open letter against the suspension, which was eventually revoked five days later.
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Sinclair Broadcasting Group and Nexstar Media Group were initially hesitant to see the late-night staple return, but announced last week that they would resume showing the programme.
On Monday (September 29), Kimmel referenced his temporary displacement and Sinclair and Nextar while on stage at the Howard Gilman Opera House at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
During a taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the New York native referred to Vance, 41, as ‘Vice President Maybelline’ and claimed he was ‘making the rounds, attempting to defend his boss and the chairman of the FCC with a new fairytale even a five-year-old wouldn't believe’.
Kimmel then played a segment of an interview that the Republican conducted with Laura Ingraham on Fox News.
It saw Vance attempting to write off allegations that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairperson Brendan Carr and US President Donald Trump used their influence to get the former Academy Awards host’s show suspended after the viral Kirk comments.
"I'd like them to tell me exactly what Brendan Carr did to have Jimmy Kimmel taken off air because number one, he is currently on the air. And to the extent that he isn't in certain stations, it's because he's not funny, because his ratings aren't very good," Vance claimed.
In response, Kimmel said: “I have some good news for you, J Dog. We're back on all the stations at every home, every bar, every strip club and every prison in America.”
Referring to the moment that Vance claimed he had poor ratings, the father-of-four quipped: "Last time I checked, your ratings are somewhere between a hair in your salad and chlamydia."
Are Jimmy Kimmel's ratings actually poor?
Kimmel's ratings have declined over the years - from an average of 2.4 million viewers in 2015 to 1.77 million in the second quarter of 2025 - but this is likely more due to changing viewing habits rather than any reflection on him, Forbes reports.
In key 18-49 demographics favored by advertisers, he's still ahead of competition from Stephen Colbert (219,000 from April to June 2025 - his show was recently axed) and Jimmy Fallon (157,000).
Kimmel's return last Tuesday (September 23) was also triple his usual viewership - 6.3 million - though he lost viewers later in the week.
In terms of Vance's approval ratings, the Pew Research Center recently surveyed 3,445 US adults and found 51 percent of Americans view him unfavorably, 40 percent favorably, and eight percent claim not to have heard of him
Kimmel continued: "In three and a half years, I'm not the one who's going to be doing mascara tutorials on YouTube.
"How did we wind up with a president and a vice president who wear more makeup than Kylie Jenner and Lady Gaga combined?”
Trump, 79, has previously lashed out at ABC bosses for allowing Kimmel’s comeback to air.
Taking to his social media site, Truth Social, the 47th POTUS typed that he’d escalate a battle with Disney-owned ABC.
He claimed the host put the network ‘in jeopardy’ before threatening to put the broadcaster ‘to test’.
“Let's see how we do," the president continued. "Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative.”
UNILAD previously contacted ABC for comment.
Topics: Jimmy Kimmel, JD Vance, Politics, Film and TV, Entertainment, US News, Donald Trump
Ella Scott