Late-night talk shows shaken by Donald Trump’s victory

US late-night talk show hosts have been commenting on Donald Trump’s presidential election victory over Kamala Harris, and none seem exactly thrilled at the prospect of his return to the White House.

Hours after polls in the United States closed on Tuesday evening, Republican Trump was declared the winner following a hotly contested race that saw Harris run just months before Election Day after resigning of President Joe Biden.

Addressing his supporters in Florida as the results showed in his favor, Trump said: “It was a movement like no one had ever seen before, and frankly, it was, I think , the greatest political movement of all time. this in this country and perhaps beyond, and now it’s going to reach a new level of importance because we’re going to help our country heal.”

Trump touted a “political victory the likes of which our country has never experienced before” and promised America’s “golden age.” He described his group of voters as “the most unified coalition,” citing its gains among black and Hispanic voters.

As Trump prepares for a second term in the White House, many celebrities have taken to social media to share their views on the outcome, with some rejoicing and many others commiserating.

Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers made their disgust at Trump’s victory very clear as they returned to their respective shows on Wednesday, with the president-elect being called a “bad person.”

News week contacted a Trump representative by email for comment.

For anyone watching these shows, the comedians’ stances will come as no surprise, as each of them had already criticized the former star of The apprentice.

News week gathered TV personalities’ reactions to the election result. Note: Some videos contain profanity.

Jimmy Kimmel

Kimmel started Wednesday night’s series Jimmy Kimmel Live! joking with sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez that he was packing his bags to leave the United States

“I can’t stay like this for another four years. Who knows what he’s going to do,” Kimmel said. “You heard [Trump]. He said he had a list of enemies. Do you think I’m not on this list? »

During his ensuing opening monologue, Kimmel discussed the outcome in more detail, telling the audience that Election Day was “the worst Taco Tuesday of my entire life.”

“We had a choice between a prosecutor and a criminal, and we chose the criminal to be president of the United States,” Kimmel joked. “More than half of this country voted for the criminal who plans to pardon his crimes.”

“I guess this election wasn’t rigged,” Kimmel continued. “But it’s weird, right? I mean, he said it would be rigged. He said it was rigged while people were lining up to vote. Isn’t he remarkable that this time the fix wasn’t found? Last time the Democrats cheated, this time we chose not to, I guess.

“Donald Trump is like the emperor of Star Wars” Kimmel added. “He’s old, he’s mean and he keeps coming back without any reasonable explanation.”

Kimmel later became emotional, saying, “Let’s be honest, it was a terrible night for women, for children, for the hundreds of thousands of hard-working immigrants who keep this country going, for health care , for our climate, for science, for journalism, for justice, for freedom of expression.

“It was a terrible night for the poor, for the middle class, for the elderly who depend on social security, for our allies in Ukraine, for NATO, for truth, democracy and decency.

“And it was a terrible night for everyone who voted against him. And guess what? It was a bad night for everyone who voted for him too – you don’t realize it yet.”

Stéphane Colbert

Opening on Wednesday The Late Show with Stephen Colbertthe titular host somberly greeted viewers by saying, “Hi. How are you? If you watch the show regularly, I’m guessing you’re not doing very well. Yeah, me neither.

“You know, today people said to me, ‘Sorry, you have to do a show tonight,’ which is nice of them, but I don’t. to have put on a show. I get put on a show tonight.”

Stephen Colbert then expressed his gratitude to his staff, the studio audience at New York’s Ed Sullivan Theater and the viewers at home, “because, especially in times like this, what do we most want to be?” Not alone. So thank you for being here.”

In his follow-up monologue, Colbert returned to the promised comedy, exclaiming, “Well, damn! It happened. Again. After a bizarre and vicious campaign fueled by a desperate need not to go to jail , Donald Trump won the 2024 elections.

“The deep shock and sense of loss is enormous. But let’s look on the bright side. This way there will at least be a peaceful transfer of power.”

“All day yesterday I was walking around proudly wearing my ‘I Voted’ sticker,” he continued. “Today I wore my ‘I Question My Fundamental Belief in the Good of Humanity’ sticker.”

“Now, as a late-night host, people often say to me, ‘Come on, part of you must want Trump to win because he gives you so much material to work with,'” he said. he continued. “No. No. No one tells the guy cleaning the bathroom, ‘Wow, you must love it when someone has explosive diarrhea. There’s so much material to work with!'”

Seth Meyers

“So I just want to start tonight by admitting something you all should know: I voted for Kamala Harris,” Seth Meyers announced as he opened Wednesday’s edition of Late Night with Seth Meyers.

He continued: “I was watching the results come in because I couldn’t sleep, and it was like Christmas Eve. If you know, Christmas morning, you’re either going to wake up to find out that Santa left presents under the tree or just made a huge dump in your chimney.

“So I was looking at the results and I knew I would be there a few hours later, you know, talking about it,” he continued. “And I couldn’t help but think – and this is genuine – what a privilege. What a privilege to be here with you, to be here with my colleagues, to not feel alone, what a privilege.

“It’s a joyful place to work, and we hope you can feel that joy when you look home. We’re not going to let anything take away that joy, even when we’re talking about things that aren’t particularly joyful.”

“For example, here’s something: I don’t think Donald Trump is a good person,” Meyers said of the president-elect. “I would even go so far as to say that he is a bad person.

“Now, in my defense, I’m just going by everything I’ve been taught about what makes someone good or bad. That’s all.

“But, you know, and it’s real, and it’s something I accept, half the country thinks he’s a good person, or they don’t care that he’s not. , because they think he’s a good president, and because of that, he’s going to be president again. That’s how democracy works in America, a country to live in, even on a morning like today. is a privilege.

“Look, I don’t know who the night staff voted for,” he added. “But I know that everyone who works on this show agrees on our mission, which is to find laughter, to find connection and to find joy – even when things are dark – and to tell you this that we feel. And look, it might be a challenge, but to that challenge, I say, ‘Let’s fucking do it.'”

Jimmy Fallon

Unlike his fellow late-night talk show hosts, Jimmy Fallon chose to keep things especially light when he addressed his audience on Wednesday.

“Well, guys, last night America decided to get back together with its crazy ex and elect Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States,” the comedian said in the opening. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

“No matter who you voted for, I think all Americans can agree that Thanksgiving will be difficult. Yes, Trump’s return to the White House is a huge and historic return for someone who literally never left.

“Of course, Trump is already very busy. First, he has to get all these classified documents back to the White House. The Republicans were excited about last night until they realized that this is going to be another four years of Trump’s term. Melania. [Trump] Christmas decorations.”

“It was a tough night for Democrats,” Fallon continued. “Today, they turned to Elon Musk and said, ‘So, tell me more about life on Mars. How far apart are we?” The election wasn’t exactly close. It was a big night for Donald Trump and a bigger night for Don Julio. [tequila]. That’s right, 51 percent of the country’s residents are really happy, 47 percent are really hungover.”

He continued: “Trump won last night quite convincingly, securing the Electoral College and the popular vote, meaning that for the first time he will accept the results of an election.

“Yes, the Electoral College votes so far are 224 for Kamala Harris and 292 for Trump. Yes, 224 to 292 is basically Trump’s made-up weight versus his real weight.”

“Trump made history in many ways,” Fallon added. “Last night, he became the first convicted felon to be elected president. Um, congratulations? Trump could be the first president to be arrested by the White House.”