Tiffany Haddish’s Trump joke gets a White House response

Jimmy Kimmel began a planned 2-month summer break in July, with Tiffany Haddish opening the rotating lineup of guest hosts on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

During her July 6 monologue, Haddish mocked President Donald Trump’s involvement in FIFA’s handling of U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s World Cup suspension and also joked about sparse crowds at Trump’s Great American State Fair.

On July 7, after the U.S. was eliminated by Belgium, Haddish made another Trump joke involving his hands. The remark prompted a dismissive response from White House spokesperson Davis Ingle, and Haddish answered him during her July 8 monologue.

Tiffany Haddish opens Kimmel’s summer guest-host lineup

Kimmel announced in June that he would take a 2-month summer break, with a rotating group of guest hosts filling in. Haddish opened the lineup during the week of July 6. She had built a reputation for blunt humor long before she ever sat behind that desk.

She mixed entertainment and political material from her first monologue. Alongside jokes about pop culture, Haddish immediately targeted Trump over the World Cup controversy and the Great American State Fair. Her opening night made clear that political comedy would remain part of the show during her stint.

Her Trump material began on her first night behind Kimmel’s desk. After the U.S. lost to Belgium, another Trump joke during her July 7 monologue drew a response from the White House, which Haddish addressed on the show the following night.

Trump asked FIFA to review Balogun’s red card

Folarin Balogun received a red card during the United States’ 2-0 World Cup win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on July 1 after making contact with defender Tarik Muharemović’s ankle. The card normally carried an automatic 1-game suspension.

Trump then called FIFA President Gianni Infantino and asked FIFA to review the decision. Trump later said he requested only a review and did not demand a specific outcome. Soccer fans from other countries reacted with visible frustration online.

FIFA subsequently suspended Balogun’s 1-game ban, allowing him to play against Belgium. The decision drew criticism from Belgium and UEFA, and Belgium defeated the United States 4-1 in the round of 16. The episode gave late-night comedians fresh material almost immediately.

A rotating lineup fills Kimmel’s summer break

Kimmel announced a rotating guest-host lineup for his planned summer break. Haddish led off the schedule, with Colman Domingo, Ike Barinholtz, Anthony Anderson, Jelly Roll, and Rosie O’Donnell among the other hosts announced.

Haddish returned to Trump-related material across multiple monologues during her opening week. Her July 6 jokes covered the World Cup and Trump’s state fair, while her July 7 joke about Trump prompted the White House response she addressed the following night.

The guest-host rotation has continued throughout the summer. Anthony Anderson hosted the program through Aug. 14, while O’Donnell is scheduled to begin a week behind the desk on Aug. 17.

Haddish mocks Trump over World Cup intervention

During her July 6 monologue, Haddish addressed Trump’s call to FIFA over Balogun’s suspension. She joked that Trump had personally contacted FIFA to help make the U.S. forward available for the match against Belgium.

Haddish also joked that Trump knew little about soccer and framed his intervention on Balogun’s behalf as an unexpected act of support for a Black player. She repeatedly joked that the president was “growing” as part of the routine.

The underlying FIFA intervention was real. Trump later acknowledged that he had not initially understood what a red card meant before learning that Balogun faced a 1-game suspension and deciding to contact Infantino.

A Trump hands joke draws a White House response

During her July 7 monologue, Haddish joked about the United States’ World Cup elimination after Trump’s intervention in the Balogun controversy. She said Trump’s involvement had not helped the team and followed the setup with a pointed joke about his hands.

USA Today subsequently asked the White House for comment. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle responded by questioning who Haddish was, giving the comedian new material for her July 8 monologue.

The White House response turned the joke into a broader entertainment-news story and set up Haddish’s on-air reply the following night.

Fun fact: Tiffany Haddish won the 2018 Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for hosting “Saturday Night Live“.

Haddish fires back at the White House response

Haddish answered the White House during her July 8 monologue. She reminded viewers that she was a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model and then turned her attention to mocking spokesperson Davis Ingle.

Haddish said she was excited that the White House was upset with her and joked that the reaction meant she had finally become Jimmy Kimmel. She also jokingly asked whether she would still be paid for the week if the president managed to get her pulled off the air.

Her response turned Ingle’s dismissal into a running joke about her own celebrity and Kimmel’s history of clashes with Trump, extending the exchange that had begun with her July 7 monologue.

White House gives Haddish a dismissive response

USA Today asked the White House to respond to Haddish’s Trump joke. Spokesperson Davis Ingle replied by dismissively questioning who Haddish was. The comment was clearly meant to diminish her rather than engage with the material.

Haddish addressed the remark during her July 8 monologue. She mocked Ingle, highlighted her own public profile, and joked that having the White House upset with her meant she had finally become Jimmy Kimmel.

The exchange generated additional entertainment-media coverage. When People sought another response from Ingle the following day, he said he still did not know or care who Haddish was. The exchange showed how quickly a dismissive quote can backfire publicly.

Haddish fires back at the White House response

Haddish answered the White House during her July 8 monologue. She reminded viewers that she was a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model and then turned her attention to mocking spokesperson Davis Ingle.

Haddish said she was excited that the White House was upset with her and joked that the reaction meant she had finally become Jimmy Kimmel. She also jokingly asked whether she would still be paid for the week if the president managed to get her pulled off the air.

Her response continued the White House exchange that began with the July 7 Trump joke. Available coverage does not establish that she later closed out her week by announcing that she had made “new friends and enemies,” nor does it establish that she explicitly promised that future guest hosts would continue the same feud.

The exchange followed Kimmel’s own Trump clashes

Kimmel and Trump had a long-running public feud before Haddish’s guest-hosting stint. In September 2025, ABC suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” following controversy over Kimmel’s comments about political reactions to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Kimmel returned to air 6 days later.

Another dispute erupted in April 2026 after Kimmel made a joke about Melania Trump during a mock White House Correspondents’ Dinner routine. Donald and Melania Trump both called for ABC to fire him.

Those earlier incidents provide context for Haddish’s July 8 joke that drawing the White House’s attention made her feel as though she had finally become Kimmel. Her punchline referenced an established history of public clashes between Kimmel and Trump.

Little-known fact: Tiffany Haddish celebrated her bat mitzvah on December 3, 2019, which coincided with her 40th birthday.

TL;DR

• Jimmy Kimmel took a summer break, and Tiffany Haddish became his first guest host.
• Haddish mocked Trump for personally intervening in a FIFA decision involving Team USA.
• A joke about Trump’s greed and his hands became her most shared moment.
• White House spokesperson Davis Ingle dismissed Haddish, prompting a sharp on-air response.
• The exchange highlighted the ongoing tension between late-night comedy and the Trump White House.

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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.

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