Jimmy Kimmel Plans Move to Italy After Trump Threats
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, American comedian Jimmy Kimmel, 57, revealed in a conversation with his ex-girlfriend, Sarah Silverman, that he has obtained Italian citizenship and is ready to bid farewell to his homeland. The Jimmy Kimmel Live host, a long-time critic of Donald Trump, may relocate to Europe if Trump returns to the White House.
When Silverman noted that some Americans are considering leaving the country — and some have already left — in anticipation of Trump’s return, Kimmel revealed: “I have obtained Italian citizenship.”
Kimmel continued: “What’s happened is… it’s worse than you think. It’s unbelievable. I feel like maybe it’s even worse than [Trump] wanted it to be.”
He added that former Trump supporters, including Joe Rogan, deserve respect: “Now you see clips of Joe Rogan saying, ‘Why is Trump doing this? He shouldn’t be throwing people out of the country.’ And people say, ‘Screw you, you supported Trump.’ I don’t believe in that.”
Kimmel said: “I think the door should remain open. If you want to change your opinion, it’s hard to do. If you want to admit you were wrong, it’s very hard and rare to be able to do it.”
Italy’s ANSA news agency has confirmed that Kimmel has been granted Italian citizenship. His maternal ancestors emigrated to New York from the island of Ischia after the devastating 1883 earthquake.
Kimmel is not the only Hollywood celebrity to announce plans to leave the U.S. Before him, Rosie O’Donnell moved to Ireland, Ellen DeGeneres to England, and Joe Pantoliano — who played Ralph Cifaretto on The Sopranos — relocated to Portugal.
Trump, after the firing of Stephen Colbert from The Late Show, said he had “heard” that Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon would soon be fired as well. He had previously questioned Kimmel’s hosting of the Oscars, saying: “I guess he attacks me every night. His ratings are terrible. He’s not a talented guy. I kept hearing he was attacking me, so I thought [on the night of the 2024 Oscars] I’d attack him, because I thought he was a bad host.”
