Jimmy Kimmel on the Trump administration: ‘They’ve hit peak ridiculous’

Late-night hosts roasted King Charles’s state visit and Donald Trump trying to push the cost of his $400m gilded ballroom on to taxpayers.Tuesday was “another weird day”, said Jimmy Kimmel on his most recent show. “There’s so much nonsense – and I mean that in a very literal sense of the word: non-sense happening. And at the same time, there are also so many awful and scary and flat-out unbelievable things going on. The world has been turned upside down, mostly for no good reason

Arts funding gap in the north must be closed | Letters

It was pleasing to read about Labour’s commitment to the principle of access to art for “everyone” (Editorial, 17 April). Everyone seemingly in London, where a whopping £135m has been invested in the V&A East museum – the latest addition to the buzzing East Bank cultural quarter.When, I wonder, will this Arts Everywhere Fund arrive at what used to be the buzzing cultural centre of the Albert Docks in Liverpool, where the Tate has been closed for more than two years? Where the museum of slavery has closed its doors and where what was a buzzing arts area now looks neglected and abandoned.When will places in the north, such as the once-vibrant towns of Kendal, Barrow and Kirkby Lonsdale, be given the same large sums spent on venue after venue in London?All the towns mentioned above are, incidentally, desperately bidding for UK town of culture 2028 designation in the hope of winning some desperately needed cash to enhance their cultural sector and to bring to these long-neglected and once-thriving centres accessible places where people can share in the joy of music, theatre or heritage, as are enjoyed by our lucky communities in “once neglected areas of London”.Spread the joy, Lisa Nandy, and let’s all have a share in the investment

Jimmy Kimmel on Trump: ‘A delicate snowflake with the thinnest fat skin of any human being ever’

Late-night hosts imagined an alternative White House correspondents’ dinner roast and recapped Donald Trump’s latest erratic threats on Iran.On Thursday evening, Jimmy Kimmel looked ahead to this weekend’s annual gala hosted by the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), which Donald Trump promised would be the “GREATEST, HOTTEST, and MOST SPECTACULAR DINNER, OF ANY KIND, EVER!”“The only thing hotter than this dinner are his diapers on the golf course,” the host quipped.This will be the first time that Trump attends the annual event for press and politicians as president, and the Daily Beast reported that his plan for the occasion is to lambast the media and leave, in an intentional “mic-drop moment” – “which I think would be disappointing”, said Kimmel.“This is the first time Trump is even going to the correspondents’ dinner as president,” he added, “but he doesn’t have to worry about being made fun of, because the event isn’t being hosted by a comedian this year.” Instead, the White House Correspondents’ Association hired mentalist Oz Pearlman to perform

Make universal access to culture a priority | Letters

A V&A everywhere. It’s not such a silly idea (Editorial, 17 April). Labour’s postwar conviction that good things should be available for everyone led to the founding not only of the Arts Council but also the NHS. Universal basic healthcare: a good idea, right? What about universal basic culture?I can see a new era of cities thriving with agency to imagine and create the conditions in which more inclusive, diverse, devolved, responsive and self-driving culture emerges – regardless of income. The UK can be a global creative powerhouse

Jon Stewart on Trump’s strategy in Iran: ‘Malignant narcissism and impulsivity’

Late-night hosts examined Donald Trump’s incoherent strategy on Iran and a new bombshell report on the FBI director Kash Patel’s alleged excessive drinking.Jon Stewart opened the latest Daily Show with a concession: Donald Trump “did a solid” by signing a bill that fast-tracked research on novel psychedelic drug treatment for mental health conditions, especially veterans suffering from PTSD.Stewart cut to a clip of the president in the Oval Office babbling about the psychoactive drug ibogaine, which showed that users “experienced an 80% to 90% reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety within one month”. Trump then joked: “Can I have some, please? I’ll take it. I’ll take it, whatever it takes

Jon Stewart on White House correspondents’ dinner: ‘We can’t even pull off a dinner that shouldn’t have existed in the first place’

Late-night hosts responded to the White House correspondents’ dinner shooting and Donald and Melania Trump’s attempts to blame political violence on Jimmy Kimmel’s jokes.Jon Stewart resumed his Monday night chair at the Daily Show less than two days after the shocking attack at the White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday night, which resulted in the arrest of one man and, thankfully, no injuries. “It was supposed to be an evening of fun and merriment until, like most things in America, it was interrupted by gunfire,” Stewart said. “This is why we can’t have nice things. And to be perfectly frank, it’s not even a nice thing