Jimmy Kimmel & Ken Jennings Are Jubilant About Kristi Noems Firing

Jimmy Kimmel and Ken Jennings have reacted to President Donald Trump‘s firing of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, the first member of his cabinet he’s let go in his second term.

On Thursday’s (March 5) Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the late-night host said watching the events in Washington is like watching a scripted television show. “Today, we had a red wedding on that TV show,” he said, referencing the infamous Game of Thrones episode. “A shocking elimination on the Celebrity Appresident, as Trump finally fired a member of his cabinet. It’s the first one of his second term.”

Kimmel noted how Noem was removed from her position after “two disastrous hearings in the House and Senate” and will now head up what Trump called “‘Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere.’”

“I think I speak for all of us when I say, we wish Kristi luck in her brand-new, completely made-up job,” Kimmel quipped.

“It’s interesting, Trump was said to be particularly unhappy with Noem’s testimony claiming that he signed off on a $220 million ad campaign that featured her in commercials wearing different outfits, rounding up immigrants and riding a horse,” the comedian continued. “Trump claims he didn’t know anything about it. Even though we all knew everything about it, but you know him, he doesn’t watch much television.”

Kimmel then looked directly into the camera and waved, saying, “Hi, President Trump, how are ya!”

He also highlighted how the Department of Homeland Security defended those commercials by claiming they were “the most successful ad campaign in U.S. history.”

“Even more than ‘Where’s the Beef?’ More than ‘Whazzzzup!’? I don’t know. If that’s true, that’s very impressive,” Kimmel joked. “You know, the funniest thing would be if they deport her to El Salvador.”

If you’re at the airport and Kristi Noem is doing the ominous little message from the TSA screens, you no longer have to do anything she says. Leave your laptop in the case, whatever.

— Ken Jennings (@kenjennings.bsky.social) 5 March 2026 at 19:22

Kimmel wasn’t the only TV personality to poke fun at Noem’s firing. Over on the social media app BlueSky, Jennings, who has frequently criticized Noem and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, delighted in the news.

“If you’re at the airport and Kristi Noem is doing the ominous little message from the TSA screens, you no longer have to do anything she says. Leave your laptop in the case, whatever,” the Jeopardy! host quipped, referring to Noem’s pre-recorded instruction videos that air at TSA checkpoints in U.S. airports.