Jimmy Kimmel chokes up as he thanks viewers for support after 'hard year'
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel grew emotional Thursday as he delivered an end-of-year thank-you to viewers during this year's final episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel grew emotional during an end-of-year thank-you message to viewers, expressing gratitude for helping him get through what he called an especially "hard year."
During the year's final episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Thursday, the host thanked his fans for their support during what he described as an "extended psychotic episode that we’re in the middle of." Kimmel's year was defined in part by his false suggestion that Charlie Kirk's alleged killer was a MAGA supporter, which led to a brief suspension from the airwaves and a wrenching on-air explanation when he returned.
"It has been a hard year. We’ve had some lows. We’ve had some highs — for me, maybe more than any year of my life, but all of us — I’m crying already, sorry. But on behalf of all of us here at our show, I just want to say that we appreciate your support, your enthusiasm, and not just for watching," Kimmel told viewers. "This year you literally pulled us out of a hole, and we cannot thank you enough personally, professionally..."
KIMMEL BRUSHES OFF FCC CHAIR BRENDAN CARR'S SENATE GRILLING, LAMENTS NO ONE WAS HELD 'ACCOUNTABLE'
ABC's :Jimmy Kimmel Live!" returned to the air on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. (Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images)
Kimmel acknowledged there are "a lot harder jobs" than being a late-night host but admitted that "this isn’t an easy job to do" and that at times "it feels like we’re spinning our wheels."
"You see so many awful and destructive acts, all this damage we inflict on ourselves on purpose, and it can make you feel crazy trying to wrap your head around these things that are so clearly wrong," he said. "You know, you grow up reading ‘Superman,’ and you learn the value of truth, justice, and the American way, and then you start to realize, especially over the last year, you don’t know where that all went."
"You don’t know what the American way even is anymore," Kimmel added.
Trump and Kimmel's feud grew even more intense after "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" was temporarily pulled from the air in September. (Michael Regan/FIFA via Getty Images; Matt Winkelmeyer/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
Despite the feeling that America is losing its way, Kimmel said that when he hears from people who say his show — and those of his "friends and colleagues" on other networks — "makes them feel less crazy, it makes me feel less crazy, too."
Wrapping up his end-of-the-year message, Kimmel appeared to take a dig at President Donald Trump with his comment about the country's "extended psychotic episode." The host added that he knows a lot of his fans are "not okay with what is happening" in the country right now.
"There is still much more good in this country than bad, and we hope that you will bear with us during this extended psychotic episode that we’re in the middle of. And we wish you a happy whatever holiday you celebrate, even if it’s none of the above," he told his audience.
When reached for comment by Fox News Digital, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, "Reacting to Kimmel’s show would require me to waste my time watching it, and like many Americans who choose not to watch it, I have more entertaining things to do - like watch paint dry."
TRUMP TAKES SWIPE AT JIMMY KIMMEL'S TALENT WHILE HONORING KENNEDY CENTER RECIPIENTS IN OVAL OFFICE
Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show was briefly pulled off the air in September after the host’s remarks about the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk sparked outrage. (David Russell/Disney via Getty Images; AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Kimmel and Trump have been locked in a months-long feud after ABC and its parent company, Disney, temporarily pulled "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" off the air in September. The host faced backlash after suggesting the suspected murderer of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Tyler Robinson, was a Trump supporter.
Kimmel returned to the air the following week and said he never meant to make light of anyone's death or give a false impression.
On his show last month, Kimmel claimed that Trump "tried to get me fired in September." He joked that he admired the president's "tenacity" in trying to get him removed.
Fox News' Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
