It started with a joke, but there was an undercurrent no one could ignore.
Something about Jimmy Kimmel’s “Hurricane Epstein” segment seemed to strike a nerve deeper than a simple late-night quip. Was it just humor, or had the comedian inadvertently touched on a raw, untold story simmering behind closed doors?
Within hours, the situation escalated, drawing ABC into a storm far larger than anyone expected and leaving viewers questioning what truths—and grievances—were really at play.
Donald Trump and Jimmy Kimmel have never been on friendly terms, and their ongoing feud flared once again this week, pulling the network into the fray.
The latest clash began when Kimmel used his Wednesday night monologue to lampoon Trump over the anticipated release of court documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. In a segment dubbed “Hurricane Epstein,” Kimmel joked that a “Category 5” storm was heading straight for Trump, implying involvement without presenting any evidence.
A YouTube clip titled “Trump Braces for Hurricane Epstein” pushed the joke further, suggesting viewers were “one step closer” to uncovering what Trump supposedly knew. While intended as satire, the comments predictably triggered a swift reaction from the former president.
Early Thursday morning, Trump took to Truth Social to strike back at both Kimmel and ABC. “Why does ABC Fake News keep Jimmy Kimmel, a man with NO TALENT and VERY POOR TELEVISION RATINGS, on the air?” he wrote, accusing the network of bias and urging them to “get the bum off the air,” reigniting a feud that has simmered for years.
The timing is notable. Just days earlier, Congress passed the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act, designed to make certain Epstein-related documents public. Kimmel seized the moment for humor, joking that Trump might try to “rebury the Epstein files under” the landslide vote—even though Trump had signed the bill hours before Kimmel’s monologue aired.
This episode followed Kimmel’s brief suspension from ABC over comments about Charlie Kirk, after which he returned to the air without apology, continuing to target critics, including Trump. Other late-night hosts, like NBC’s Seth Meyers, have also recently drawn the former president’s ire, with Trump publicly calling for their dismissal.
The Epstein topic has repeatedly triggered strong reactions from Trump. During a tense Oval Office news conference, ABC’s Mary Bruce asked pointed questions about the case, prompting Trump to call her a “terrible reporter.” Just days earlier, on Air Force One, he had referred to Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey as “piggy” while taking questions from the press.
By Wednesday, the White House escalated the conflict, releasing a letter outlining longstanding grievances against ABC News, some dating back to Trump’s first term. The letter described the network as a partisan entity rather than a journalistic organization, accusing it of presenting “Democrat spin” while masquerading as legitimate news.
Conclusion:
The clash between Donald Trump and Jimmy Kimmel demonstrates how even a seemingly lighthearted joke can ignite years of tension. What began as satire quickly became a public display of frustration, strategy, and perception, revealing how media, politics, and personal sensitivities collide in the spotlight.
Beyond the humor or outrage, the episode is a reminder that behind every headline lies a tangled web of context, emotion, and stakes—elements that can turn a single comment into a headline-making controversy overnight.