Kimmel Brings His Show to Brooklyn and Takes Aim at the White House
Late-night hosts rarely need much of an excuse to poke at the president, but Jimmy Kimmel had a fresh one this week. With Jimmy Kimmel Live! broadcasting a special edition from Brooklyn, New York, he used his September 29 opening monologue to cover a full round of Trump headlines, and the crowd was with him the whole way.
A Joke About Honesty
Kimmel's first big bit was about honesty. He described Trump as a leader who is constantly pushing into new territory, then announced that the president had done something unprecedented that day: told the truth. The show cut to a clip of Trump at a podium calling himself a terrible president, and Kimmel added that it's never too late to start being honest. The audience cheered.
Natalie Harp Gets the Spotlight
The host then moved on to the president's meeting with leading tech figures. Kimmel's setup was that Trump wanted to show them how good Natalie Harp is with a printer.
That line only lands if you know who Harp is. At 35, she has become a familiar figure at Trump's side, and she recently stood with him at the White House for the announcement of a new $15 billion steel plant in Iowa. Her closeness to the president has drawn questions, and her brother has publicly described her as "obsessed." She has also picked up a nickname, Trump's "human printer," because she often walks behind him with a portable printer, ready to produce hard copies of positive articles about him.
Trump's AI Rebrand
Kimmel spent a good part of the monologue on the tech luncheon itself. He said the gathering was a chance for Trump to meet the heads of powerful AI companies and pitch them on a new name for the technology. In a clip, Trump explained that he wanted to call it Super Intelligence, and said everyone he had talked to so far liked the idea.
Kimmel wasn't convinced. He joked that the head of a company literally named OpenAI must be thrilled. He then pointed out that Trump loves renaming things, and said that having AI safeguards designed by an 80-year-old is like asking your grandfather to set up the WiFi router at your house. You just wouldn't do it.
The America.gov Launch
The host also mentioned a website Trump launched before the meeting. America.gov is described as a new AI-powered site meant to help Americans reach federal services and information more easily. Kimmel added that it also offers pictures of the president as "Doctor Jesus."
He noted that a White House official had called the site a new front door to the federal government. Kimmel's take was that a new front door makes sense, since the old one was torn down to make room for Trump's ballroom. He also said that almost two years into his term, the president still blames Joe Biden for everything he dislikes.
The Sleepy Joe Moment
A clip from the meeting showed Trump saying the announcement was only possible because of his administration's policies, and taking a shot at "Sleepy Joe Biden." Kimmel pretended to be puzzled, saying he'd never heard Trump mention Biden before.
Then came the punchline. Kimmel said that just minutes after invoking "Sleepy Joe," Trump appeared to nod off on live TV. The show played footage of the moment while the audience applauded. Kimmel finished by joking that even Mitch McConnell would have told him to wake up.
How Fans Reacted Online
The Jimmy Kimmel Live! Instagram account posted the monologue, and the comments were mostly positive. One viewer wrote that comedians make "this whole crazy ride bearable." Others said they loved Jimmy and thought he was hilarious, and one commenter said he says exactly what they're thinking while making them laugh.
Some of the replies took aim at Trump himself. One person wrote, "Go to the light, Donny." Another asked whether any footage exists of Biden dozing off, saying they had never seen any and preferred "dozy Don."
The Bottom Line
Kimmel's Brooklyn stop showed that Trump's headlines are still reliable material for late night. Between the tech luncheon, the AI rebranding, the new government website and the Natalie Harp chatter, he had plenty to work with, and the crowd and his online audience clearly enjoyed it.
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