Jimmy Kimmel received his first Peabody Award, marking a major milestone in his long-running career in late-night television. During his acceptance speech, the host touched on the importance of free speech, while also making verbal jabs at his longtime adversary, President Donald Trump.
Kimmel and Trump’s friction began before the latter officially took office in 2015, and their conflict only intensified over the years as both continued to trade public remarks and criticisms across interviews, monologues, and social media.
Jimmy Kimmel Receives His First Peabody Award
The 86th Annual Peabody Awards ceremony was held on May 31, with 34 winners chosen across different categories. One of them was Jimmy Kimmel, who was recognized for defending free speech and highlighting the importance of political satire.
Ben Affleck handed the host his award, but not before poking fun at his best friend, Matt Damon, whom Kimmel has had a fictional feud with for decades. Affleck said Kimmel made use of his show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to “challenge authority,” adding, “and by authority I think we all know who that really means… one particularly credit-hogging narcissist named Matt Damon.”
The actor concluded his introduction, saying, “Comedy and satire are vital parts of democratic speech, whether the government likes them or not.” Kimmel then accepted his award with his longtime sidekick, Guillermo Rodriguez.
The Host Said Making Jokes Shouldn’t Win Him An Award
Kimmel began his speech by admitting that he felt “dumb” compared to the other winners, including documentarians and news programs. He said he only called Trump “Fattyshack,” then proceeded to enumerate other nicknames he made up for his nemesis over the years. “Somehow, we got a Peabody out of that,” he jokingly said, adding that the country has “gone to sh-t.”
“Making jokes about the president in America shouldn’t win you a price. we have the right, guaranteed by the Constitution, to criticize and satirize our leaders,” continued Kimmel. The TV show host said he took the right for granted until he was suspended for his Charlie Kirk remark in 2025.
Kimmel commended the millions of people who stood by him. “They sent a message that we do care. And that we will stand up. And that we will not stand by when comedy, and journalism, and dissent are censored, regulated, and criminalized,” he stated.
He ended his speech by thanking Trump, mentioning a few other nicknames he had for him, including “commander-in-thief,” “Orange Julius Caesar,” and “Greedy McGolfy,” for inspiring people to fight for freedom of speech.
Jimmy Kimmel Was Commended For His ‘Master Class’ Return Following His Suspension
The 34 Peabody Award winners were announced in April, following a selection from a pool of more than a thousand entries in several categories, including Entertainment, Arts, Documentaries, Youth, News, Podcast/Radio, and Interactive & Immersive. The winners were selected unanimously by the Board of Jurors.
Peabody’s Executive Director, Jeffrey Jones, said the winners “reflect Peabody’s mission to honor storytelling that has the potential to change culture.”
Kimmel was chosen for the 2025-2026 season of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” His Peabody profile highlights his return to the show following his suspension in 2025, noting he displayed “a master class in public apologia for the Kirk comments while nevertheless, and doggedly, asserting his rights to criticize the president and MAGA movement that sought to silence him.”
The Comedian’s 2025 Suspension
In September 2025, Kimmel made some controversial remarks about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during his monologues, which resulted in the FCC threatening to revoke ABC’s broadcast licenses.
ABC then suspended Kimmel’s show indefinitely, citing Kimmel’s “insensitive” remarks. The suspension was met with backlash, with many celebrities and politicians calling out ABC for undermining freedom of expression and censoring Kimmel.
Kimmel returned to his late-night show less than a week after his suspension, as The Blast reported.
Jimmy Kimmel And Donald Trump’s Feud Is Ongoing
In April, Trump called ABC to fire Kimmel following a remark he made prior to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting. The president said the host’s “expectant widow” remark about his wife, Melania, was a “despicable call to violence.” Despite Trump’s urging, ABC did not fire nor suspend Kimmel.
One of Kimmel’s latest digs at the POTUS came after Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding to Bettina Anderson, which the president did not attend. In his monologue, Kimmel said that while Trump loves his son, he “just loves the United States more.”