Left-wing late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel might live in Hollywood, California – roughly 5,000 miles from the UK – but that hasn’t stopped him being tapped to deliver this year’s Alternative Christmas Message across the pond on local outlet Channel 4.
The presenter’s ABC talk show was yanked off air in September after he made despicable comments about slain conservative icon and free speech martyr Charlie Kirk.
The BBC notes Kimmel was reinstated a week after his removal and will take that experience to frame an argument about the spread of “fascism.”
The full quote from his address will say: “From a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year.”
In a statement, Channel 4 said his address “comes at the end of a year when U.S. politics has featured heavily in news and current affairs programming”.
The British network said Kimmel will “reflect on the past few months in a deeply personal and characteristically jovial address”, following his “return to air and his much-publicised criticism of the US administration”.
Channel 4 has broadcast an “alternative” holiday address to the monarch’s message, which airs on BBC One and ITV, since 1993.
The network has not released any further quotes from Kimmel’s planned address other than his line about fascism, but the BBC tips he is expected to strike a similar tone as he did last week when presenting the last episode of his talk show for the year.
The ratings-challenged host told viewers: “This has been a strange year. It’s been a hard year. We’ve had some lows, we’ve had some highs. For me, maybe more than any year in my life.”
“But on behalf of all of us at the show, 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, professionally.”
As Breitbart News reported, the late-night host had falsely suggested on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Kirk’s assassin may have been part of the “MAGA gang,” and mocked President Donald Trump’s response, which included ordering American flags flown at half-staff.
ABC, Disney, and affiliates responded by briefly pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! from all of their stations, with broadcast affiliate Nexstar citing Kimmel’s “offensive and insensitive” comments “at a critical time in our national political discourse,” and stressing the company’s desire to “move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”
After returning to the air, Kimmel was slammed for his non-apology monologue addressing the matter, and was accused of spinning the narrative “in typical leftist fashion” to paint himself as a long-suffering victim.
Jimmy Kimmel’s Alternative Christmas Message will air on Channel 4 at 17:45 GMT on Christmas Day, two hours after the King’s Christmas Message on ITV and BBC One.
