- - Jimmy Kimmel Calls Past Year 'Almost a Near-Death Experience' Watching 'His Own Funeral' After 2026 Critics Choice Awards Win

Julia MooreJanuary 5, 2026 at 4:42 AM

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Frazer Harrison/Getty

Jimmy Kimmel attends the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 4, 2026 in Santa Monica, California. -

Jimmy Kimmel won Best Talk Show at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, Jan. 4 for Jimmy Kimmel Live!

In the winner's room afterwards, he reflected on the difficult few months the show has had

The comments came after Kimmel thanked Trump in his acceptance speech

After Jimmy Kimmel took home his second-ever Critics Choice Award, he reflected on the very eventful year his show has had.

In the winner's room following his win for Best Talk Show on Sunday, Jan. 4, Kimmel, 58, recalled the challenges Jimmy Kimmel Live! has faced over the last few months, which includes the show's six-day suspension.

"It was almost a near-death experience for me. Of course, not literally, but I did feel a little bit like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn watching their own funeral, when all this stuff happened," he told reporters, referring to his show being taken off the air in September over comments he made about Charlie Kirk's death.

He returned to the air on Sept. 23, but has continued to face backlash from President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly called for his show to be cancelled.

Kevin Winter/Getty

Jimmy Kimmel wins Best Talk Show Award for "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" at the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 4, 2026

After his show won at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards, Kimmel said, "To be here and to see that people reacted to it in not just a positive way, but in almost a desperate way, we're like, 'Oh boy, when they come after the comedians, this is when we draw the line.'"

"We're very grateful that they drew the line at us," he said.

In Kimmel's acceptance speech, he teased his fellow nominees — The Daily Show, Hot Ones, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen — and joked that they "did not care enough" to attend the awards ceremony, but he also shared a more serious message.

"Thank you to all the writers and actors and producers and union members, many of you who are in this room, who supported us, who really stepped forward for us, and reminded us that we do not take free speech for granted in this city or this country."

Kevin Winter/Getty

Jimmy Kimmel wins Best Talk Show Award for "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" at the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 4, 2026

He also mentioned Trump, 79, in his speech. "Most of all, I wanna thank our president, Donald Jennifer Trump, without whom we would be going home empty-handed tonight."

"So thank you, Mr. President, for all the many ridiculous things you do each and every day," the late-night host continued. "It's been a banner couple of weeks, and we can't wait to get back on the air tomorrow night to talk about them."

— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. On Christmas Day, Kimmel doubled down on his opposition to Trump, as he reflected on his show being pulled off the air. He said that happened because Trump “would like to shut me up because I don’t adore him in the way he likes to be adored.”

“The American government made a threat against me, and the company I work for, and all of a sudden, we were off the air," he said during the “Alternative Christmas Message" from the British broadcast network, Channel 4.

His return to the air was because of the many people who spoke out in support of him and the show, he said. “We won, the President lost and now I’m back on the air every night giving the most powerful politician on earth a right and richly deserved bollocking.”

See PEOPLE's full coverage of the 31st annual Critics Choice Awards Sunday, Jan. 4 as they air live on E! and USA Network at 7 p.m. ET from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”