Jimmy Kimmel gets Italian citizenship in bid to escape Trump

New York, New York – Talk show host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel used a podcast appearance to reveal that he sought out Italian citizenship as a way to escape President Donald Trump‘s harmful policies.

Speaking to Sarah Silverman on her podcast, Kimmel confirmed he had officially obtained Italian citizenship earlier this year after going through a process of proving his ancestral lineage.

“I did get Italian citizenship,” he told Silverman. “What’s going on is as bad as you thought it was gonna be.”

“It’s so much worse – it’s just unbelievable. I feel like it’s probably even worse than he would like it to be.”

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The reveal is the first time Kimmel has mentioned the move since appearing at an Italian Republic Day even in Los Angeles and speaking in part about his Italian heritage.

“I have just obtained citizenship,” Kimmel reportedly told the audience. “My grandfather’s parents came to New York from Ischia after an earthquake devastated Casa Micciola, in 1883, killing most of the family.”

While he hasn’t announced plans to leave the US, Kimmel is one of several talk show hosts to have publicly considered it. Rosie O’Donnell recently moved to Ireland, while Ellen Degeneres moved to the UK.

Kimmel has long used his show to comment on politics and criticize the government of the day. He has been particularly critical of Trump since he returned to office in January 2025.

In a recent monologue on his show, Kimmel joked about an incident in which Trump dropped his papers while doing a press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“Imagine being the leader of another country and having to deal with him,” Kimmel said. “And having to bend over to pick up the paper that he dropped.”