Jimmy Kimmel has joked the “Red Wedding” has begun after the Republicans’ midterm election trouncing, evoking the infamous Game of Thrones massacre scene.
None of the major late night talk shows aired live on Tuesday, but Jimmy Kimmel Live! taped later than usual to allow for some reaction to the Democrats winning both the House and the Senate in a major blow to US President Donald Trump and his party.
“The blue wave made landfall and now the Red Wedding begins,” the 58-year-old host said in his monologue.
In a phone interview with Fox News, Trump blamed some Republican candidates for the loss, saying he was “a little bit surprised” and “thought they’d do better”.
Taking to Truth Social, Trump insisted his party would have claimed a “landslide” victory if he’d been up for election.
Kimmel, who has publicly feuded with Trump, referenced the president’s recent comments about certain people’s backsides.
He quipped: “It seems to be after all the talk about Nicki Minaj’s ass, Jon Husted’s ass, the only ass on Trump’s mind tonight is the one that just got handed to him.”
The late night star also joked that Trump spent election day tuning into Fox News coverage “trying to give himself an insurrection”.
He teased: “Word from inside the White House is he’s already run out of dipping sauce containers to throw at the television set.
“Man, oh man, would I hate to be the Door Dash driver who delivers Trump his Papa John’s tonight?”
Other celebrities in Hollywood have started to react to the news, with Henry Winkler posting on X that “dreams do come true”.
Bette Midler wrote on Instagram: “I am OVERJOYED! What a great, great night. Thank you, America! You’ve saved your beloved country!!”
Meanwhile, Trump has insisted he is willing to work with the Democrats and will “accept” the election outcome.
“I am absolutely willing to accept those results,” he told the New York Times.
“We’ll work with the Democrats, and we’ll, you know, look forward to working with them. We’ll probably work something out.”
Australian Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national newswire and has been delivering accurate, reliable and fast news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We keep Australia informed.
