Jimmy Kimmel became the first late-night host to address the 2026 midterm election results, reacting to early returns during a later-than-usual taping of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Tuesday night. Democrats were projected to win control of both the House and Senate, alongside surprise victories in several states, including Georgia, Texas, Ohio, South Carolina and Kansas.
Kimmel focused much of his monologue on President Donald Trump, with whom he has a long-running feud. Referring to Trump’s recent remarks about people’s backsides, Kimmel joked that the only one on the president’s mind that night was “the one that just got handed to him.”
He also brought back a false rumor about Vice President J.D. Vance and a couch, quipping that Democrats had won so many seats that Vance could not find one to have sex with him. Kimmel then joked that Trump had spent the day watching Fox News coverage and was “trying to give himself an insurrection.”
The host made further jokes about Trump’s reaction to the results, including a bit about him running out of dipping-sauce containers to throw at the television. Kimmel also reviewed the status of several key races as of the taping and showed a compilation of humorous moments from outgoing House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” was the only other major late-night program to air a new episode Tuesday, though it had been taped before many polling places closed. Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show,” which had regularly aired live on election nights, ended in May after CBS canceled it last year.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter.