Jimmy Kimmel Challenges Trump to Come on ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’: ‘See How Much That Genius Knows’
Jimmy Kimmel has thrown out a challenge to President Donald Trump to come and test his knowledge on ABC’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, which returned for a new season on Wednesday night (July 23).
The late-night host spoke with Extra‘s Paul Costabile on the set of the popular game show ahead of Wednesday’s premiere, which saw Drew Carey and Aisha Tyler win $32,000 before Ken Jennings and Kimmel’s long-time mock rival Matt Damon took to the stage.
When asked to reveal his dream contestant, Kimmel told the outlet, “Boy, wouldn’t it be fun to put Donald Trump in that hot seat, see how much that genius knows?”
He continued, “I would say [to him], ‘Please, have a seat. I would love to… You know what? Any time you spend on a game show is another hour you’re not being president, so I’m in support of that.'”
On a more serious note, Kimmel said a lot of people are “nervous” about coming on the show, “especially the people who are seen as smart people are particularly cautious about not being seen as smart people.”
“So, I admire anybody that does sit down and come on the show because they’re really risking their reputation,” he added.
Ken Jennings and Matt Damon are showing up to #WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire tonight… much to Jimmy Kimmel’s dismay 😂 Watch at 8/7c on ABC and stream on Hulu. @MillionaireTV pic.twitter.com/Nk7n0lFJ1i
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) July 23, 2025
Kimmel was also asked about his long-time enemy, Damon, appearing on the show. The comedian and actor have had a mock rivalry going on since the early 2000s, with Damon often the butt of Kimmel’s jokes on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
“You don’t have to keep saying his name, it’s like Voldemort,” Kimmel quipped. “Well, guess what, [Jennings] brought somebody with him, who was not invited on the show, was not welcome on the show, who showed up, who has been trying to get on my show for many years and honestly embarrassed himself, embarrassed his family, and should be ashamed of what he did.”
He added, “He’s not a nice person. He’s sneaky, and I’m pretty sure he cheated.”
Jennings and Damon reached $250,000 on Wednesday’s show before time ran out. The pair will return next week with all three lifelines still intact to see if they can go all the way to the $1 million question.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Wednesdays, 8/7c, ABC
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