A Sense of Doubt blog post #3965 - Jimmy Kimmel's Alternative Christmas Message to UK - BBC Four
I was going to avoid politics until after the new year, but this is too funny; thus, I must share.
That's all.
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/26/nx-s1-5658144/jimmy-kimmel-alternative-christmas-message-britain
LONDON — Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel took aim at U.S. President Donald Trump as he warned Thursday about the rise of fascism in an address to U.K. viewers dubbed "The Alternative Christmas Message."
The message, aired on Channel 4 on Christmas day, reflected on the impact from the second term in office for Trump, who Kimmel said acts like he's a king.
"From a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year," he said. "Tyranny is booming over here."
The channel began a tradition of airing an alternative Christmas message in 1993, as a counterpart to the British monarch's annual televised address to the nation. Channel 4 said the message is often a thought-provoking and personal reflection pertinent to the events of the year.
The comedian has skewered Trump since returning to the air after ABC indefinitely suspended the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show in September following criticism of comments the host made over the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel made remarks in reference to the reaction to Kirk's shooting suggesting that many Trump supporters were trying to capitalize on the death.
Trump celebrated the suspension of the veteran late-night comic and his frequent critic, calling it "great news for America." He also called for other late night hosts to be fired.
The incident, one of Trump's many disputes and legal battles waged with the media, drew widespread concerns about freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
Hundreds of leading Hollywood stars and others in the entertainment industry urged Americans to "fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights." The show returned to the air less than a week later.
Kimmel told the U.K. audience that a Christmas miracle had happened in September when millions of people — some who hated his show — had spoken up for free speech.
"We won, the president lost, and now I'm back on the air every night giving the most powerful politician on earth a right and richly deserved bollocking," he said.
Channel 4 previously invited whistle-blower Edward Snowden and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to deliver the alternative Christmas message.
Kimmel, who said he didn't expect Brits to know who he was, warned that silencing critics is not just something that happens in Russia or North Korea.
Despite the split that led to the American Revolution 250 years ago, he said the two nations still shared a special relationship and urged the U.K. not to give up on the U.S. as it was "going through a bit of a wobble right now."
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- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
