Jimmy Kimmel gives Trump a special thanks during Critics Choice Awards speech

Jimmy Kimmel picked up the prize for best talk show at the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, and he made sure to pay tribute to one of the many people that's made it all possible: Donald Trump.

"FIFA Peace Prize would have been better, but this is nice too," said Kimmel as he took to the stage, making reference to the controversial award given to the U.S. president by football's governing body.

"Thanks to all the writers and actors and producers and union members, many of who are in this room, who supported us, who really stepped forward for us, and reminded us that we do not take free speech for granted in this city or in this country. Your actions were important, and we appreciate them. And most of all I want to thank our president, Donald Jennifer Trump — without whom we would be going home empty-handed tonight," Kimmel continued.

"So thank you, Mr President, for all the many ridiculous things you do each and every day. It's been a banner couple of weeks and we can't wait to get back on the air tomorrow night to talk about them."

Kimmel's speech makes reference to the many people in the entertainment industry, including fellow late show hosts like Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver, who came to his defence after ABC's parent company Disney suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! in Sept. 2025. The decision was made following a threat from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr's to punish ABC over comments made by Kimmel during a monologue following the killing of far-right commentator Charlie Kirk.

Kimmel's show was reinstated less than a week later, with the host's return monologue becoming the most-watched on his YouTube channel.

We've rounded up the full list of winners at the Critics Choice Awards on Mashable.