No, Jimmy Kimmel didn't kick Karoline Leavitt off his show after 'fiery clash'

In April 2025, social media users widely circulated a claim that television host Jimmy Kimmel kicked White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt off his late-night talk show following a "fiery clash" between the two.

For instance, an April 26, 2025, YouTube video about the rumor, titled "Karoline Leavitt Kicked Off From Jimmy Kimmel's Show After Fiery Clash," had more than 68,000 views.

The video began with the narrator saying, "What was supposed to be a casual late-night chat turned into a battlefield." Below is a transcript of the part discussing Leavitt's alleged walk-off from the show:

"Do you really think you're helping people, Karoline? You're just defending a president who can't even stay awake."

Karoline stood her ground, her face set in stone. "Say what you want about the president," she said. "But he faces the American people every day, takes criticism, and keeps showing up. That's more than I can say for entertainers who hide behind punchlines." 

Silence fell like a heavy curtain. Jimmy looked stunned. No one moved. No one spoke. And then Karoline stood up. 

She reached for her mic, unhooked it with slow, deliberate hands, and turned to the audience. 

"I came here for a conversation," she said, "not a circus." 

Without another word, she walked off the stage, leaving Jimmy sitting there hollow and frozen. The audience didn't know how to react. Some people clapped. Some booed. Others just sat there, phone still in the air, recording every second. Jimmy forced a smile. "Well, that was different," he said weakly. 

Multiple YouTube videos (archived) circulated the story, with one of them titled "Karoline Leavitt Kicked Out Of Jimmy Kimmel's Show After Heated Argument - Full Breakdown" and another "Karoline Leavitt Takes a Stand: Walks Off Jimmy Kimmel Live After Heated Debate...!" Many viewers took the videos at face value.

The claim also spread on other social media platforms, including TikTok and Facebook.

However, none of this actually happened. As of this writing, Kimmel has never conducted an interview with Leavitt on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" There are no records of Leavitt appearing on the show's official guest lineup, no video footage or stills from such an episode and no mentions of an interview in credible news reports or entertainment media coverage. Such an interview, particularly one ending in a dramatic walk-off, would have been newsworthy if it were true.

Harrison Fields, special assistant to the president and principal deputy press secretary, described the rumor as "fake news" in an email to Snopes. A press contact for "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" also confirmed the circulating claim was "inaccurate" and the interview "did not happen." Therefore, we rated this claim false.

The videos spreading the fabricated story featured narration that was generic and seemingly generated using artificial intelligence software. They also lacked specific details such as a broadcast date and included no real footage of Kimmel or Leavitt. What's more, an April 8, 2025, video that seemingly originated the rumor included a disclaimer stating that its content was entirely fictional:

The stories presented on this channel are entirely fictional and crafted solely for entertainment. Any resemblance to real events, individuals, or situations is purely coincidental and unintentional. These narratives are not intended to depict, reference, or represent any actual occurrences, persons, or entities.

The visuals featured in the videos spreading the rumor also had telltale signs of being AI-generated. For instance, in one of the images Leavitt's and Kimmel's facial features were overly smooth and lacked natural skin texture. Additionally, Kimmel's hand appeared to have six fingers and one of the visible fingernails was on the wrong side of the finger (see image below).

(YouTube channel StarTalk Diaries )

For more tips on how to spot AI-generated content, check out our article on the topic.

In mid-April 2025, we debunked a similar rumor that Leavitt debated Stephen Colbert on his late-night talk show.