Bess Kalb, who worked as a writer for Jimmy Kimmel from 2012 to 2020, took aim at Donald Trump during a congressional hearing about the First Amendment on Monday, February 23
Bess Kalb worked for Jimmy Kimmel during Trump’s first term(Image: Matt Winkelmeyer, The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)
Bess Kalb delivered a scathing takedown of Donald Trump during testimony at a congressional hearing focused on the First Amendment.
The 39-year-old author and comedy writer appeared alongside Democrats at a Capitol Hill hearing titled ‘Silencing Dissent: The First Amendment Under Attack’ on Monday, February 23, which aired live on C-SPAN. Bess was part of Jimmy Kimmel‘s writing team from 2012 to 2020, spanning Trump’s initial presidency.
From the 79-year-old’s social media tirades to the axing of particular late night shows, Bess contends that the reality television personality-turned-politician, who positions himself as anti-censorship and pro-free speech, is actually attempting to manipulate criticism of himself and his administration by misusing the First Amendment.
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“For late night comedy writers, Trump is our best and worst audience,” Bess explained. “He’s our best audience because unlike most Americans, he watches late night television. He cares about what the network men in suits say about him.”
She continued, “He’s our worst audience because his inexplicably bruised skin is very, very thin,” highlighting that Trump struggles with criticism, particularly when it originates from late night television personalities.
The comedian’s testimony was broadcast on C-SPAN(Image: Getty Images)
“He complained about our jokes frequently, often in real time on his own social media site he invented so that nobody could make fun of him on it,” Bess joked.
The seasoned writer also highlighted the questionable timing of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s cancellation, which she quipped was “bulldozed like it was the East Wing of the White House,” arriving shortly after the host ribbed Trump over his $16 million settlement from CBS following his lawsuit against the network regarding edited footage of a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris in 2024.
Stephen’s axing preceded Jimmy’s sudden removal from the airwaves after he delivered commentary about Trump and MAGA’s reaction to the passing of conservative pundit and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk during his opening monologue, reports the Mirror US.
The president headed to Truth Social to celebrate the cancellation, with Bess noting Trump appeared “positively giddy” about it.
She accused Trump of abusing the First Amendment(Image: truthsocial)
While Jimmy’s removal proved temporary, the TV writer sees it as a dangerous precedent.
“I want to be fair,” she stated, “The Trump administration denies responsibility for these cancellations, much as the mafia is continuously surprised that so many people end up in the East River with cement blocks on their feet.”
She emphasized that late night personalities like Stephen, Jimmy, and their peers are “vital satirists” who “shape how millions of Americans absorb the day’s news” and that “under any administration, they are powerful voices of criticism and dissent.”
Bess wrapped up by asserting that Trump’s role in shutting down particular late-night shows isn’t about “controlling” humor, but rather about “controlling criticism of the administration and its corporate bedfellows.”
She contended, “It is the state using its power to shape what is profitable to say. And we’ve learned nothing if not this: the bottom line comes first, even before the First Amendment.”
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