Jimmy Kimmel Roasts Donald Trump After Democratic ‘Blue Tsunami’ Midterm Victories

Jimmy Kimmel Reacts to Midterm Election Results with Late Taping

Jimmy Kimmel became the first late-night host to tackle the results of the 2026 midterm elections, taping his ABC show later than usual on Tuesday night to react to early returns, according to The Hollywood Reporter. While most major late-night programs remained dark on election night, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! captured the unfolding political shift as Democrats were projected to secure wins in both the House and the Senate.

The late schedule enabled Kimmel to deliver a swift comedic assessment of a night marked by unexpected Democratic victories in states like Georgia, Texas, Ohio, South Carolina, and Kansas. The host immediately aimed his monologue at President Donald Trump, highlighting a rocky night for the administration.

“It seems to be after all the talk about Nicki Minaj’s ass, Jon Husted’s ass, the only ass on Trump’s mind tonight is the one that just got handed to him,” Kimmel said during the broadcast.

Rolling Stone noted that Kimmel characterized the outcome as a “blue tsunami” rather than just a wave, pointing out a Harvard election model that calculated the likelihood of Republicans keeping the House as equivalent to rolling a 20 on a 20-sided die. Rolling Stone added that the model calculation represented a five percent chance, prompting Kimmel to remark that somebody at Harvard really wanted to let everyone know they play Dungeons and Dragons. The Daily Beast reported that the host also joked about Trump watching Fox News inside the White House and running out of dipping sauce containers to throw at the television set. Kimmel added, Man, oh man, would I hate to be the Door Dash driver who delivers Trump his Papa John’s tonight? He also joked about Trump bragging that morning about having a 99 percent approval rating in Israel and suggesting he could move there and become prime minister, which Kimmel said might be his best idea ever, adding that he would gladly pay for an El Al flight so they could sell a whole new line of hats with the slogan Make Israel Great Again.

Contrasting Priorities Highlighted on Screen

To explain why the Republican Party suffered such steep losses, Kimmel brought up two distinct visual lists on screen during the broadcast. On one side, he displayed the primary concerns of everyday American voters, which included inflation, housing, healthcare, climate change, corruption, and democracy. On the other side, he listed the topics that occupied Trump and his inner circle over the preceding two years.

Building on the theme of voter dissatisfaction, Kimmel delivered a blunt assessment of executive approval ratings. “Trump’s approval rating here is terrible. Just like every woman he’s ever slept with, voters are unsatisfied with the job he is doing,” he said.

The Daily Beast highlighted that the host also celebrated specific Democratic candidates, including Senate and gubernatorial campaigns in Georgia, alongside the high-profile race of Texas Senate candidate James Talarico. Kimmel also revived the false 2024 rumor about Vice President J.D. Vance once having sex with a couch, joking that Democrats took so many seats that J.D. Vance could not even find one to have sex with him that night.

Late-Night Hosts Address Political Controversies Before Midterms

While ABC pushed production later into the night, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show aired a new episode on Tuesday that had been taped before most polls closed. Stephen Colbert’s long-running CBS show, which historically went live on election nights, concluded its run in May after being canceled the previous year.

The broader late-night television landscape also addressed separate political controversies surrounding the Trump family ahead of the midterms. The Guardian reported that Kimmel discussed a recent hunting trip in Mongolia involving Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian oligarch connected to Vladimir Putin, raising fresh counter-intelligence questions. Kimmel explained that in August, Donald Trump Jr. and his bro-ligarch went on a hunting trip to Mongolia where the president’s son reportedly shot and killed an Altai argali, which is the largest sheep in the world and an endangered species, so junior jetted in to kill it as is the Trump way. Meanwhile, on Late Night, Seth Meyers opened his show by questioning the timing of the midterms and mocking a recent campaign trail rally where Trump suggested renaming New Mexico to “New America,” joking that Rome does not have a neighborhood called “Little Italy.” Meyers also quipped that the approach of the midterms meant it was time to ace another cognitive exam, and corrected Trump by stating that you cannot call it New America when it is already in America, noting that Rome does not have a neighborhood called Little Italy and if anything they might have a New America.

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