Jimmy Kimmel is stepping away from late night television for the next two months, but his replacement is already turning heads. During Thursday night’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” the host announced that a rotating lineup of guest hosts will take over while he enjoys a temporary sabbatical. Among the names revealed was an old comedian and outspoken Donald Trump critic Rosie O’Donnellwhose choice immediately raised eyebrows, given her decades-long feud with the president.
As Jimmy Kimmel leaves late-night television for a brief hiatus, viewers won’t have to wait long for a familiar face to take over.
During Thursday night’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” the comedian revealed that he is taking a two-month sabbatical and has drawn up a list of celebrity guest hosts to fill in during his absence. “I’m taking the next two months off, voluntarily this time,” Kimmel joked, before revealing several stars who will lead the show while he’s away.
Among the names announced were: Tiffany Haddish, Colman DomingoIke Barinholtz Anthony Anderson, Jelly rolland Rosie O’Donnell. “And… I asked one of our commander-in-chief’s all-time favorites, Rosie O’Donnell, to be here to keep the hits coming,” Kimmel joked, prompting a loud reaction from the crowd.
O’Donnell’s booking comes after years of public feuding with Trump
O’Donnell’s upcoming guest hosting stint is especially notable considering her long-standing public feud with President Donald Trump. The comedian made headlines in 2025 moving to Ireland with her youngest child after Trump’s election victory. Tensions between the two escalated further in July when Trump publicly suggested he was considering revoking O’Donnell’s US citizenship.
“Due to the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am seriously considering taking away her citizenship,” Trump wrote on Truth Social at the time. “She is a threat to humanity and should stay in the beautiful country of Ireland if they want her. GOD BLESS AMERICA.”
O’Donnell quickly fired back on social media. “The President of the USA has always hated that I see him for what he is: a criminal con man, a sexually abusive liar who wants to harm our nation to serve himself; this is why I moved to Ireland,” she wrote.
Rosie O’Donnell recently returned to the US
Despite his move abroad, O’Donnell has continued occasionally make a trip to the United States. Earlier this year, she revealed that she was quietly returning home to visit family after spending over a year abroad.
“I recently went home for two weeks and didn’t tell anyone. I just went home to my family,” O’Donnell said during an appearance on SiriusXM’s “Cuomo Mornings.” “I wanted to see how difficult it would be for me to get in and out of the country. I wanted to feel what it felt like. I wanted to hold my children again. And I hadn’t been home in over a year.”
Her appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” marks one of her most high-profile returns to American television since her move to Ireland.
The feud between Jimmy Kimmel and Donald Trump has been escalating for years
While Rosie O’Donnell’s ongoing battle with President Donald Trump is well documented, Kimmel has also become one of the president’s most outspoken critics on late-night television.
Kimmel has done that over the years regularly used his monologues to mock Trumpoften focusing on the president’s policies, public statements, legal issues and campaign appearances. The comedian’s sharp criticism has often drawn responses from Trump himself, who has repeatedly attacked Kimmel on social media, calling him a “loser” and a “third-rate talent.”
Their feud has intensified in recent years as Kimmel has become increasingly vocal on political issues, with the host often arguing that comedians have a responsibility to speak out when they see something they believe is wrong.
Most recently, Kimmel referenced the brief controversy surrounding his show following comments he made about the conservative commentator Charlie Kirk led to backlash and temporarily put him at odds with ABC.
During his announcement about taking time off, Kimmel joked that his upcoming break was voluntary, a light-hearted nod to that controversy.
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