Jimmy Kimmel has said that he is now an official Italian citizen.
He says that Donald Trump’s return to the White House had nothing to do with his decision. The late-night talk show host talked about the news on The Sarah Silverman Podcast. He said that a lot of individuals he knows are thinking about doing the same thing now that Trump has been re-elected in 2024.
“A lot of people I know are thinking about where they might get citizenship,” Silverman stated during their discussion. “Yes, I did get Italian citizenship,” Kimmel added. Everything is just as bad as you thought it would be. I can’t believe how much worse it is. It’s probably worse than he wants it to be, in my opinion.
Italian news outlet Ansa said that Kimmel got citizenship earlier this year after showing that his family has roots in Italy. He has ties to the country through both his mother’s and father’s families. Kimmel described how his grandfather’s parents left the island of Ischia, off the coast of Naples, to immigrate to the United States after a devastating earthquake in 1883 devastated much of their family. In June, he performed this during an event in Los Angeles for Italian Republic Day.
He also thanked his grandmother Edith, whose family came from Candida in the province of Avellino, for keeping those origins alive. Thanks to my wonderful grandma Edith, I am now a citizen, Kimmel remarked, joking that she used to say, “You have the brain of a hamster!”
Since Trump’s re-election, several celebrities have either fled the U.S. or made efforts to establish a backup home abroad. Kimmel’s move is part of this trend. In January, Rosie O’Donnell moved to Ireland. Actress Ellen DeGeneres and her spouse, Portia de Rossi, have relocated to the United Kingdom.
DeGeneres said she moved because the country is clean, kind, and has good standards for animal welfare. She also talked about her worries about the future of LGBTQ+ rights in America and said that she and De Rossi would even get married again in the UK if same-s** marriage is made illegal in the U.S.
Kimmel has often used Jimmy Kimmel Live! to criticize Trump’s policies and words. He is one of the most vocal late-night hosts in the US. He is one of many well-known hosts who have poked fun at Trump a lot, like John Oliver, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert.
According to BBC News, CBS suddenly canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in May, just a few days after Colbert criticized the network’s choice to settle a $16 million lawsuit with Trump. CBS said that politics had nothing to do with it, but Trump publicly praised the action and even hinted that Kimmel would be “next” to lose his platform.
Kimmel also talked about how important it is to help folks who regret supporting Trump on Silverman’s program. He remarked that the door had to stay open. It’s really hard to change your opinion if you want to. It’s very hard and quite rare to say you were incorrect. You’re welcome.
Kimmel getting Italian citizenship seems to be a symbolic reminder that some people feel like they need a second home because of how unpredictable things are politically in the US right now.