Jimmy Kimmel has witnessed the backlash on social media after his cheeky remark about President Donald Trump. Critics of the late-night host have branded him a hypocrite for his role in The Man Show, which he cohosted from 1999 to 2003, and he hasn't contested their stance. "Yeah, it's fair game," the star of Jimmy Kimmel Live! told Rolling Stone in an interview released on Tuesday. "I find it amusing because those who use those clips as evidence of my wickedness were probably the show's biggest fans at that time. Our show was somewhat satirical. If you really watch it, you'll see we poked fun at ourselves throughout most of it. It wasn't meant to be taken seriously that men are superior to women, but some people did."
The Comedy Central series, cohosted by Adam Carolla, was saturated with misogyny, culminating in each episode with the show's all-female Juggy Dance Squad leaping on trampolines. "It was meant to be Homer Simpson-like," the late-night host remarked. "But snippets can be taken out of context and taken literally. That's just how it goes." Kimmel admitted that he hadn't realized "the show was really about the camaraderie between me and Adam Carolla, the chemistry we had."
When quizzed by New York Magazine in October 2017 if he looked back on the show with embarrassment, Kimmel confessed he did. "I look back at every show I've ever done and squirm. My vision of hell is an array of monitors playing my old shows. But, of course, I do, not necessarily for the reasons you'd think," he said then. "I just think, 'Oh, we could've polished that up.' It was a beloved show, and working with Adam was a dream come true at the time. We did a lot of hilarious and a lot of silly stuff."
The late-night host sounded more regretful in June 2020 when he apologized for doing blackface on The Man Show while impersonating retired NBA star Karl Malone.
When asked by Rolling Stone about what constitutes acceptable comedy in 2025, the 57-year-old said, "I don't set boundaries on what makes me laugh. But personally, as I've aged and matured, I wouldn't crack a joke if a person of that race or persuasion were in the room. That's my stance. I believe a lot of the outrage is fabricated, and many of these angry individuals aren't truly upset. I think these liberals who viciously target comedians play a significant role in Trump's presidency."
He also emphasized that no one should be ostracized for their jokes. "I just believe that when you see something funny and others laughing, and then someone steps in with folded arms, saying, 'That's not funny, and here's why,' it leaves a sour impression of that person," he said. "You want to tell them to chill out. Comedy isn't black and white. There's no clear line. The line differs for everyone. Dave Chapelle can say things others might not dare. I don't think anyone should be canceled. I genuinely don't."
