Jimmy Kimmel Mocks JD Vance’s Charisma and Appearance

Late-night hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert targeted Vice President JD Vance during their respective broadcasts, mocking what they described as a rough week for the administration official.

The commentary followed an April 15, 2026, appearance by Vance at a Turning Point USA conference in Athens, Georgia. Kimmel highlighted the event’s low attendance, stating that there were more people in the theater to see a documentary about Melania Trump than there were to see the vice president.

During his monologue, Kimmel referenced polling that identifies Vance as the least popular vice president in more than two decades.

Kimmel further mocked Vance’s public image, remarking, Weirdly, Americans don’t seem to be responding to JD infectious charisma. Maybe it’s time for a new eyeliner.

Analysis of a ‘Rough Week’

Kimmel detailed several specific developments contributing to the rough week narrative, including Vance’s failure to secure a deal to end the war in Iran.

The host also noted that Vance had to spend time defending Donald Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV as well as various AI Jesus stuff.

A significant portion of the segment focused on Vance’s efforts at the Turning Point USA conference to dismiss the friendship between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. Kimmel ridiculed Vance’s claim that the two were not actually friends, suggesting instead that they were extremely horny acquaintances together.

Kimmel questioned whether Vance and Trump had ever had a candid conversation regarding Epstein, concluding that Vance was pulling every bit of this out of his ass.

Ongoing Feud and Ratings Disputes

The current mockery is part of a broader conflict between Kimmel and the vice president. In a previous exchange, Vance appeared in a Fox News interview where he criticized the ratings of broadcast networks including ABC, NBC and CBS.

Vance argued that these networks enjoy the public airwaves because they serve the public interest, but asserted that Kimmel’s ratings were not holding up and that advertisers likely disliked him.

Kimmel responded to these claims during a show in Brooklyn, where he referred to Vance as Vice President Maybelline.

My ratings aren’t very good? Last time I checked, your ratings are somewhere between a hair in your salad and chlamydia.

Jimmy Kimmel

Kimmel also mocked the appearance of the president and vice president, questioning how the administration ended up with leaders who wear more makeup than Kylie Jenner and Lady Gaga combined and suggesting that Vance might eventually be doing mascara tutorials on YouTube.

Career Context and Previous Suspension

These clashes follow a period of instability for Kimmel’s program in 2025. Disney suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 17, 2025, following a backlash regarding on-air comments Kimmel made about Tyler Robinson, the accused assassin of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Kimmel had claimed that Robinson was part of the MAGA gang.

While the suspension was driven by Nexstar and Sinclair, Disney reinstated the host on September 22, 2025. His return episode saw a surge in viewership, drawing 6.5 million viewers, though reports indicate that the audience levels did not sustain that peak.