Late-night hosts responded after reports surfaced that current President Donald Trump held private dinner with Real Time With Bill Maher host Bill Maher, prompting widespread discussion across the late-night television landscape.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jimmy Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Man Show), Jimmy Fallon (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Saturday Night Live), and Stephen Colbert (The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report) each addressed the Trump-Maher meeting on their respective programs, reflecting their distinct comedic and political tones.
Kimmel delivered one of the more pointed reactions, questioning the optics surrounding the dinner and its broader implications. Fallon incorporated the news into his monologue with humor, while Colbert framed the development through satire, situating the meeting within a broader political conversation.
Trump later addressed the dinner publicly. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, he characterized the meeting as “a waste,” adding that Maher was “no different than Kimmel, Fallon or Colbert.”
In additional remarks, Trump described the gathering dismissively, writing, “Sometimes in life you waste time!” while recounting how the meeting came together. His comments positioned the dinner as inconsequential despite the media attention that followed.
Maher, however, defended his decision to attend. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he emphasized the importance of open dialogue, framing the dinner as consistent with his role as a political commentator willing to engage across ideological divides.
The moment has arrived, as Maher continues to hold a prominent position on late-night television. HBO recently renewed Real Time With Bill Maher through 2028, as reported by mxdwn, reinforcing the network’s confidence in his panel-driven format and its continued relevance in political and cultural discourse.
mxdwn has also examined Jimmy Kimmel’s political commentary in coverage of his Channel four Christmas broadcast, in which the host delivered pointed satire aimed at Donald Trump. That reporting highlighted Kimmel’s established approach of blending humor with direct political critique, a tone that similarly informed his response to the reported dinner.
Collectively, the hosts’ reactions underscore how late-night television continues to function as both entertainment and cultural commentary. As The Hollywood Reporter details, the dinner quickly became monologue material, reinforcing the genre’s ongoing engagement with real-world political developments.