'From a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year,' comic will say

US chat show host Jimmy Kimmel is to deliver The Alternative Christmas message airing on Channel 4. 

It comes after the comedian was briefly taken off the air in September following comments he made in the wake of the murder of Charlie Kirk, leading to widespread protest and debate in the USA about freedom of speech and freedom of the press. 

Channel 4 say that in his Christmas Day broadcast Kimmel will ‘reflect on the past few months in a deeply personal and characteristically jovial address’. 

In the pre-recorded address, the comic – well-known for his criticism of the US administration – will say: ‘From a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year.’

Kimmel’s address follows in the tradition of other topical presenters delivering The Alternative Christmas Message, including the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; whistleblower Edward Snowden; and Afghan war veteran Major Andrew Stockton.

On the final episode of his chat show of 2025 last week, Kimmel told his audience: ‘On behalf of all of us at the show, I just want to say that we appreciate your support, your enthusiasm, and not just for watching this year, you literally pulled us out of a hole, and we cannot thank you enough.

‘I know there are a lot harder jobs, but this is not an easy job to do, and sometimes it feels like we’re spinning our wheels. You see so many awful and destructive acts, all this damage we inflict on ourselves on purpose, and it can make you feel crazy trying to wrap your head around these things that are so clearly wrong.’

The Alternative Christmas Message airs on Channel 4 at 5:45pm on Christmas Day. 

Published: 22 Dec 2025