Screenshot: Fox News Channel
The ripple effects of Conan O’Brien’s widely circulated remarks about “F Trump” comedy continued over the weekend, with Fox News hosts repeatedly citing the out-of-context clip as an indictment of modern late-night television and its criticism of Donald Trump.
Across multiple programs, O’Brien’s comments were framed as proof that liberal comedy has lost touch with its audience—ignoring the broader context of his resurfaced appearance at the Oxford Union last November, where he praised both Kimmel and Stephen Colbert for continuing to do strong work during the Trump era.
On Friday’s episode of The Five, Fox News late-night host Greg Gutfeld weighed in during a six-minute panel discussion titled “Conan O’Brien Calls Out ‘F Trump’ Comics.”
“The problem with the people [O’Brien] is talking about is they let their ego take priority over entertainment,” Gutfeld said, arguing that late-night hosts were seeking “accolades, not an audience.” He likened the approach to “opening a steakhouse for vegans,” before turning his attention specifically to Jimmy Kimmel, whose monologues he dismissed as “pathetic rants.”
Gutfeld described Kimmel’s supporters as “bed-sitting cat ladies,” later adding that Kimmel’s primary audience was “his wife, who is the head writer and a hardcore feminist.”
The following day, similar rhetoric surfaced on The Big Weekend Show, where host Tomi Lahren went further, condemning Kimmel’s “clapping audience of morons” and adding, “I hope they find Jesus”:
Fox News host Tomi Lahren: “The fact that [Jimmy Kimmel] has an audience at all shows us the sad state of affairs of folks in this country, and I hope they find Jesus.” pic.twitter.com/sHBF0kRVzP
— LateNighter (@latenightercom) January 12, 2026
Kimmel, who was raised Catholic and has framed his personal politics as being rooted in the teachings of Jesus, has been on a ratings tear since his suspension in September. Jimmy Kimmel Live! was one of only two late-night shows to post year-over-year gains across both key ratings measurements in the fourth quarter of 2025.
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