Late-Night Hosts: Kimmel Is Our 'Bulletproof Vest' Against Trump

Late-night television hosts Seth Meyers and John Oliver told Jimmy Kimmel that he serves as their "bulletproof vest" when it comes to facing criticism from President Donald Trump. During a joint appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Thursday, Oliver and Meyers explained that Kimmel often becomes the primary target of the president's public commentary.

"Because they’ll normally say, like, how does it feel being, you know, disliked by the current president? And we always say as long as you’re on the air, we’re fine," Oliver said, referring to the question-and-answer segments of comedy shows he does with Meyers. Meyers added, "You draw all the ire."

Oliver elaborated, "We are fully supportive. We are fully behind you the way that we’re fully behind a bulletproof vest." The hosts speculated on why Kimmel might attract more attention from the president. Meyers suggested that Trump might see them as "dorks" but might want to associate with Kimmel, imagining him thinking, "Yeah, I think he has a pizza oven. Like, everything about, you know what I mean? He's heard you hang out with like, 'You know, he knows Larry David and Conan, he's got a lot of famous friends. His parties sound awesome.'"

Kimmel posited that Trump primarily watched major network news and possibly did not have HBO, which airs Oliver's show. "He definitely doesn't have Comedy Central. He has no idea, like most people, no idea where to find that," Kimmel said.

Meyers noted that when Trump does comment on his show, it's typically during its live airing. "And I don't love that, but like that he's watching linear television with the ads is so important," Meyers said.

In response to inquiries from Fox News Digital, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle issued strong criticisms of all three late-night personalities.

"Seriously, unfunny Marble Mouth Meyers might be the dumbest and least talented television host in history. He clearly suffers from a severe and incurable disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome that has completely rotted his peanut-sized brain," Ingle stated.

The White House also targeted Oliver, calling him "a pathetic moron with a poorly rated TV show." The statement referenced a previous White House comment about Kimmel: "Jimmy Kimmel is a no-talent loser who has beclowned himself with tanking ratings and by spewing disgusting lies to his dwindling audience. He is so devoid of actual talent that nobody with any commonsense would ever watch him unless it was to laugh at his miserable failures."