Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert gave President Trump rare praise for helping broker an agreement between Israel and Hamas that led to a ceasefire and the release of all remaining Israeli hostages.
Both late-night hosts spoke about “positive” developments in the Middle East in their Monday night monologues, along with jokes and their usual criticism of Trump.
“What a day for Donald Trump,” Kimmel said on the show. “You know what? He finally did something positive today and I want to give him credit because I know he’s not the type to take credit.”
Kimmel added, “We’re definitely just the first step in a long and careful process, but the fact is that the bombing has stopped, the hostages have been released, and President Trump deserves a certain amount of credit for that. So I know it’s crazy to say, but good job, President Trump. We might not be able to invade Portland with this. It’s just an idea.”
The host then talked about President Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize campaign, sarcastically saying, “I want him to keep trying to build peace. I don’t mind coming up with motivational prizes and trophies. Let’s give them the Nobel Prize for ‘Reopen the government and leave health care alone.'”
“There’s some good news today. Thanks to President Trump’s newly brokered ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, all living Israeli hostages and about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners have been freed. This is important. Give credit where credit is due — Donald Trump did some good things,” Colbert said on “The Late Show.”
Colbert then left the stage after a comedic pause, referring to his show, which ends in May, and said:
Later in his monologue, Colbert played footage of Trump telling Fox News that “nothing is going to take me to heaven.”
“I agree with Donald Trump,” Colbert said, suddenly becoming serious. “While Trump is trying to bring peace to the Middle East, he is trying just as hard to bring war to the Midwest. And personally, I am horrified to see how he is stepping on his former stomping grounds in Chicago, Illinois, where I lived for more than a decade. ICE terrorizes communities in the Windy City, going door to door in front of elementary schools, arresting immigrants, legal or not, arresting American citizens without due process, These are tear gas journalists who are just reporting what they are doing.”
Kimmel and Colbert have long been critical of Trump, and both programs have clashed with the federal government this year. After Kimmel made comments about the murder of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk (and President Trump’s response to it), his show was taken off the air under pressure from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. (After the show returned, President Trump slammed Kimmel on social media as “Democratic trash” and teased that he might “test ABC on this,” including possible legal action.)
Colbert’s CBS show was canceled earlier this year amid the Paramount-Skydance Media merger. The network cited financial reasons for the cancellation, but some media analysts believed it had something to do with Paramount seeking regulatory approval and currying favor with President Trump. President Trump posted on social media that he was not “solely responsible” for the show’s demise and said Colbert was fired because of “a pure lack of talent” and the high cost of broadcasting the show.
Watch Kimmel and Colbert’s Monday night monologue below.
