Jimmy Kimmel Trolls Donald Trump With Escalator Joke After UN 'Sabotage' Fiasco

Jimmy Kimmel is once again taking aim at Donald Trump, but this time by mocking the president’s much-discussed “bad escalator” moment at the United Nations. On Friday, September 26, the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" host shared a tongue-in-cheek Instagram post featuring his sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez, and the gag quickly went viral. Jimmy Kimmel’s escalator post is just the latest in his ongoing back-and-forth with Trump.

Kimmel posted a photo of Guillermo smiling and waving while standing on a working escalator with his luggage in hand. The caption read, “Headed to Brooklyn! Escalator is working great!”

The jab referenced Trump’s September 23 visit to the UN, where the escalator carrying him and First Lady Melania Trump suddenly stopped midway. The pair were forced to walk the rest of the way, an awkward moment that Trump later brought up in his speech.

“All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that, on the way up, stopped right in the middle,” Trump said during his remarks. “If the First Lady wasn’t in great shape, she would have fallen. But she’s in great shape. We’re both in good shape, we both good.”

Earlier in the week, Trump reacted angrily to the reinstatement of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" following its brief suspension, posting on Truth Social, writing, “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back.”

Trump went further, accusing ABC of effectively serving as “an arm of the DNC” and suggesting that the network’s decision to keep Kimmel on the air amounted to “a major Illegal Campaign Contribution.” He ended the post with an ominous warning, writing, “I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do.”

As of now, ABC has not issued a public response to Trump’s remarks, but Kimmel wasted no time clapping back. “You can’t believe they gave me my job back? I can’t believe they gave you your job back! We’re even,” he quipped during his September 24 monologue.

Then, during his September 25 episode, Kimmel took another shot at the president while thanking him for the ratings boost caused by all the controversy. After Disney brought the show back on September 23, his return episode averaged 6.26 million viewers, triple the normal audience.

“We had our second-highest rated show in almost 23 years on the air,” Kimmel told viewers. “And I want to say, we couldn’t have done it without you, Mr. President. Thank you very much.” On YouTube, his return monologue racked up over 22 million views in just a few days.

The late-night comedian also teased the show’s upcoming trip to Brooklyn, joking that they were “on the move so the FCC can’t get us.” "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" will broadcast from the Brooklyn Academy of Music between September 29 and October 3.

As Jimmy Kimmel settles back into his late-night groove following a brief suspension, Vice President JD Vance is keeping the pressure on. During a Thursday appearance on The Ingraham Angle, Vance said he would “love” for Kimmel to issue an apology to Erika Kirk, the widow of slain activist Charlie Kirk, as well as to conservatives he believes the comedian unfairly maligned.

“[Kimmel] tries to say that he told a joke. He didn’t tell a joke. He was actually accusing right-wing America, conservative America, of killing Charlie Kirk. We now know that is false,” Vance said. “Charlie Kirk was murdered by a left-wing assassin who was radicalized by some of the rhetoric that we see coming from the far-Left.”

The vice president doubled down, framing the issue as a matter of honesty and accountability. “If we’re going to stop this crazy strain of left-wing violence, we have to be honest about what it is,” Vance continued. “The honest truth is that Charlie Kirk was not killed by a MAGA American. He was not killed by a Republican. He was killed by a left-wing radical. Let’s be honest about that fact, so that we can stop it from happening.”

Kimmel’s troubles began on September 15 when his remarks about Charlie Kirk’s killing sparked backlash. Days later, FCC chairman Brendan Carr criticized Kimmel’s comments, and ABC temporarily pulled the show. Sinclair and Nexstar, two of the nation’s largest broadcast operators, also preempted "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" from their networks. By September 26, however, both companies confirmed they would resume airing the program, effectively ending the six-day blackout.

For Kimmel, the drama has only fueled his comedic fire, and Trump remains his favorite target. As Guillermo’s escalator stunt proved, Kimmel isn’t ready to step off the moving staircase of political satire anytime soon.