ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel joined former First Lady Michelle Obama and her brother and former college basketball coach Craig Robinson on their IMO podcast on Wednesday to discuss his career, which naturally touched on what it is like to be a late night comedy host in the Trump era. According to Kimmel, talking about politics in such a partisan way is a moral obligation that would be “shameful” to avoid. As for those wanting him to stick to comedy, he demanded they stop telling him how to do his job.
Obama set Kimmel up by praising him on how “you have so bravely and boldly used your platform to speak truth to power, as they would say.”
Kimmel replied, “Well, thank you. I don't think of it as bravely. Boldly, maybe would be a good description. But to me, it just seems obvious and unavoidable. And I don't see that—I just can't imagine on those nights talking about anything other than what we are talking about. And I give a lot of credit to my colleagues for doing the same thing. I think it would be embarrassing if we didn't talk about this stuff. It would be shameful."
Jimmy Kimmel tells Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson that he HAS to talk politics "it just seems obvious and unavoidable. And I don't see that—I just can't imagine on those nights talking about anything other than what we are talking about...It would be shameful. Not that I think… pic.twitter.com/HS9KLo1LMG
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) April 15, 2026
He also claimed, “I've always said since the very beginning, even when I was on the radio, is to talk about what is going on in people's lives and what is going on in, you know, if you're doing local radio, in your town, and if you're doing a national television show, in your country.”
According to Kimmel, this dive in partisan activism dressed up as comedy is just proof of his humanity, “And these are things that I take very seriously. And of course, you know, I like to—I love telling jokes. I love being funny. I love when the audience laughs. There's nothing that's more exciting to me than that. But you well-rounded human beings don't behave that way.”
As for those who want their comedians to focus on being funny, Kimmel retorted, “And to say that, ‘Well, your job is this.’ It makes me—I bristle at that because, first of all, don't tell me what my job is. You know, I don't tell you what your job is. My job is whatever I decide my job is or whatever my employer allows me to do. That's what my job is and comedians have been doing this for a long time.”
People who comment about politics for a living get criticized. Sometimes the comedy critics get criticized by comedians. That’s part of the job description. Nevertheless, Kimmel further asserted that those who long for a supposed golden age of late night might not like what they would get if Johnny Carson was still around, ‘And, you know, from my generation: George Carlin, Richard Pryor, it just shows a great deal of ignorance when it comes to comedy to say, 'Well, Johnny Carson didn't do this.’ Like, well, first of all, we're living in a different time. And secondly, how do you know Johnny Carson wouldn't do it? I bet Johnny Carson would talk about it. I bet Johnny Carson would be absolutely mortified by what's going on. And I do think that he would probably have a greater impact than any of us do.”
Kimmel began to wrap up by claiming, “I don't love those nights. It's not, I feel uncomfortable. I get emotional. I lose control sometimes of my emotions, which is embarrassing to me, but I just feel like I wrestle with myself throughout the day and I go, ‘Am I going to talk about this? Am I going to talk about this? Am I going to talk about this?’ And then I just go, ‘Yeah, of course you have to talk about this. You might not want to, but you have to.’ And that's it. I wish we didn't have to do it. I hope there's a day that we don't anymore. And we can just go back to fun.”
Of course, nobody is preventing Kimmel from having fun now. Kimmel tells 97 percent of his jokes about conservatives because he wants to, not because he needs to. Kimmel’s wants versus needs framing also looks worse when you remember that he has chosen to spend the last two days not issuing a mea culpa for letting Eric Swalwell announce his gubernatorial campaign on his show.
Here is a transcript for the April 15 show:
IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson
4/15/2026
MICHELLE OBAMA: And you have so bravely and boldly used your platform to speak truth to power as they would say.
JIMMY KIMMEL: Well, thank you. I don't think of it as bravely. Boldly, maybe would be a good description. But to me, it just seems obvious and unavoidable. And I don't see that—I just can't imagine on those nights talking about anything other than what we are talking about. And I give a lot of credit to my colleagues for doing the same thing. I think it would be embarrassing if we didn't talk about this stuff.
OBAMA: Yeah.
KIMMEL: It would be shameful. Not that I think everyone has a responsibility to speak out. Whatever, if you're comfortable doing that. But, you know, my job, I've always said since the very beginning, even when I was on the radio, is to talk about what is going on in people's lives and what is going on in, you know, if you're doing local radio, in your town, and if you're doing a national television show, in your country.
And these are things that I take very seriously. And of course, you know, I like to—I love telling jokes. I love being funny. I love when the audience laughs. There's nothing that's more exciting to me than that. But you well-rounded human beings don't behave that way. And to say that, “Well, your job is this.”
It makes me—I bristle at that—
OBAMA: Yeah.
KIMMEL: —because, first of all, don't tell me what my job is.
OBAMA: Exactly.
KIMMEL: You know, I don't tell you what your job is. My job is whatever I decide my job is or whatever my employer—
OBAMA: Yeah.
KIMMEL: —allows me to do. That's what my job is and comedians have been doing this for a long time.
OBAMA: It's so true.
KIMMEL: And, you know, from my generation: George Carlin, Richard Pryor, it just shows a great deal of ignorance when it comes to comedy to say, “Well, Johnny Carson didn't do this.”
Like, well, first of all, we're living in a different time. And secondly, how do you know Johnny Carson wouldn't do it? I bet Johnny Carson would talk about it. I bet Johnny Carson would be absolutely mortified by what's going on. And I do think that he would probably have a greater impact than any of us do.
OBAMA: Yeah.
KIMMEL: But, I, you know, I don't, I don't love those nights. It's not, I feel uncomfortable. I get emotional. I lose control sometimes of my emotions, which is embarrassing to me, but I just feel like I wrestle with myself throughout the day and I go, “Am I going to talk about this? Am I going to talk about this? Am I going to talk about this?”
And then I just go, “Yeah, of course you have to talk about this. You might not want to, but you have to.”
OBAMA: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
KIMMEL: And that's it. I wish we didn't have to do it.
OBAMA: I know.
KIMMEL: I hope there's a day that we don't anymore.
OBAMA: Yeah.
KIMMEL: And we can just go back to fun.
OBAMA It would be nice.
CRAIG ROBINSON: Yeah, it would be.
OBAMA: It would be nice.
