Kimmel, Colbert: The Sad Clowns of Late Night Meltdown Over Trump’s Win

In the realm of late-night television, hosts like Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert have long abandoned any pretense of neutrality, openly catering to left-leaning audiences with their brand of political satire. However, the melodramatic reactions to Donald Trump’s recent electoral victory reveal just how disconnected they are from the broader American electorate and how ineffective their efforts have been in swaying public opinion.

Jimmy Kimmel—the same host who once choked up over a dentist killing a lion—found himself nearly in tears yet again. Describing the election night as “terrible” for a laundry list of societal groups, Kimmel failed to see the irony of his position. A host who has built his career on speaking to the everyman seemed bewildered by the idea that the same everyman might not share his views.

Meanwhile, Stephen Colbert didn’t hold back in his post-election monologue, describing the event as both a “tragedy” and a “joke.” His profanity-laced tirade, while perhaps cathartic for him and his loyal viewers, underscored a fundamental misunderstanding of the diverse motivations behind Trump’s support. For a comedian who prides himself on being in touch with the pulse of America, Colbert’s rant demonstrated more of a disconnect than he might like to admit.

These late-night personalities have long positioned themselves as counterweights to Trump and the Right, using their platforms to ridicule and criticize their policies. Yet, their inability to sway the election results suggests that their influence is not as significant as they might believe. Their smugness, derived from an echo chamber of like-minded voices, renders them incapable of understanding why millions of Americans voted the way they did.

The 2024 election was not just a referendum on Kamala Harris or the Democratic Party’s policies but also a stark reminder that the mainstream media—including its comedic branches—does not hold the sway it once did. The Democrats lost big, and in many ways, so did the late-night hosts who have spent years rallying against Trump.

For viewers who once enjoyed late-night TV as a source of light-hearted entertainment, it’s long been disappointing to see these platforms descend into vehicles for political expression that so often miss the mark. It’s long past time for Kimmel, Colbert, and their peers to step back and reassess their roles. Perhaps they ought to remember that their primary function should be to entertain, not to dictate political beliefs. However, that seems unlikely.

Ultimately, this election should serve as a wake-up call—not just for the politicians but for those who use their platforms to shape public opinion. The referendum extends beyond policies; it challenges the arrogance of media figures who think they know better than the average voter. They don’t matter nearly as much as they think they do, and their continued dismissal of opposing viewpoints only further alienates a significant segment of their potential audience.