Jimmy Kimmel has said Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again movement, MAGA, practices the “opposite of Christianity” because supporters do not admit mistakes. 

The talk show host was speaking to former First Lady Michelle Obama, on the IMO podcast with her brother Craig Robinson, sharing how he appreciated that some influencers who backed Trump in the 2024 election have now said they were wrong. 

Kimmel said: “The cardinal rule of MAGA is to never admit when you are wrong. First of all, it’s the opposite of Christianity.

“The basis of the whole faith is asking for forgiveness. And that seems to be cast aside […] I don’t think there’s any way forward if we don’t”, he added. 

Kimmel added that he disagrees with people who were against Trump who believe that former supporters who change their mind “must be punished for their sins”.

Trump and Kimmel have been in disputes before, with the president celebrating when ABC pulled the Jimmy Kimmel Show from air after the host’s comments about the shooting of Charlie Kirk in 2025.

When he returned to air, Kimmel praised Kirk’s widow for forgiving her husband’s killer: “Erika Kirk forgave the man who shot her husband," he said. "She forgave him. That is an example we should follow. If you believe in the teachings of Jesus as I do, there it was.”

Trump has also been the target of Kimmel's monologues, particularly after the 2024 election. The comedian said he has “never voted for a Republican in my life” and that his parents are “very, very, very liberal people”, but said he does not mind if people think differently because of their life experiences. 

Kimmel also recounted stories of his priest going up in Las Vegas, Father Bill, saying “there’s no one you get more shock value out of than the priest of your church”. Aged 14, Kimmel unveiled a “nude painting” of Fr Bill at an event marking 50 years of priesthood. 

He had a Catholic upbringing, being an altar boy as a child.