Jimmy Kimmel told Donald Trump to “quit already”, while stars from Pedro Pascal to Bette Midler celebrated the Democrats taking control of Congress.
Celebrities have been quick to react to the Democrats’ sweeping victory in the US midterm elections, with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel leading the jokes at Donald Trump’s expense.
Democrats took control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives on Tuesday, and flipped governorships in states including Texas, Ohio, Iowa and Georgia.
As of Wednesday, Democrats had gained seven Senate seats, 25 House seats and five governorships, according to the Associated Press.
Kimmel taped Tuesday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! later than usual so he could react to the early results. A clip of his monologue had passed eight million views by Wednesday afternoon.
“The blue wave made landfall, and now the Red Wedding begins,” he said, referring to the infamous massacre in Game of Thrones.
“Trump was reportedly angry and cursing as the results came in,” Kimmel joked. “Word from inside the White House is he’s already run out of dipping sauce containers to throw at the television set.”
He also mocked Trump for boasting on Fox News that morning about a 99% approval rating in Israel, and joking that he could move there to become prime minister. “That might be the best idea he’s ever had,” Kimmel said.
On Wednesday night, Kimmel turned to Trump’s response to the results. The president had written on Truth Social: “I wasn’t on the ballot. And if I was, we would have won in a landslide.”
“That is such crap,” Kimmel said. “You were on the ballot. You’re like dog hair; you’re on everything.” He added: “The only time you ever brought us together was yesterday, when we all teamed up to get rid of you!”
He then called on the president to step down. “Quit already, just quit. Nobody wants you. Even you don’t want to be president anymore,” he said.
Kimmel also responded to a White House statement issued before the election, in which spokesperson Danny Ingle called him “a no-talent loser” who had “beclowned himself”. “Today seems like a bad day for you to call me a loser,” Kimmel said.
Trump has repeatedly called for ABC to fire Kimmel.
Trump took no responsibility for the defeat. “I shouldn’t feel guilty, because virtually … no matter how good the president is, you lose. I don’t know why. Nobody’s explained that,” he told Fox News as the results came in.
He has blamed weak candidates, although many of the Republicans who lost were his own picks. Darline Graham, whom he chose to replace her late brother Lindsey Graham as senator for South Carolina, lost to Democrat Annie Andrews.
In Texas, his endorsed candidate Ken Paxton lost to James Talarico, the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the state in nearly 40 years.
According to Kimmel, Trump also attacked Texas governor Greg Abbott as a “RINO” (Republican in Name Only) and criticised Fox News over its coverage.
Musicians were among the first to celebrate. Country band The Chicks welcomed fans at a Los Angeles concert to the “bluenami”. “Texas is blue,” they said on stage. “The Senate is blue, the House is blue. This would be a very different night if that wasn’t the case.”
Doja Cat changed the lyrics of her hit Paint the Town Red to “I’ll paint the town blue” at her own concert, under blue stage lighting.
Halsey’s 2015 song Colors, with its refrain “everything is blue”, has become something of an anthem for Democrats. The singer posted a TikTok of herself dancing to it.
Ariana Grande shared posts celebrating young voters and the “women who just made history”. Finneas O’Connell wrote that if the world eventually healed, Trump “will deserve some credit for making us save it from him”.
Pedro Pascal posted a blue map of Texas with the caption “sobbing”, and shared a post about Allison Montgomery becoming Alabama’s first openly transgender state lawmaker.
Viola Davis congratulated Keisha Lance Bottoms, who became the first Black woman elected governor in US history. “We the people… THE PEOPLE!!” Davis wrote.
Bette Midler wrote on Instagram: “I am OVERJOYED! What a great, great night! Thank you, America!” Mark Ruffalo thanked those who “voted for decency, fairness, equality, justice”, and Stephen King posted two words: “Buyers’ remorse.”
Mandy Moore celebrated Chris Pappas becoming the first openly gay man elected to the Senate, in her home state of New Hampshire. Stephen Colbert marked his home state of South Carolina electing a Democratic senator for the first time since 1998 with its state motto, “Dum Spiro Spero” (“While I breathe, I hope”).
Tennis star Coco Gauff posted a TikTok captioned “how I woke up feeling”, and Rosie O’Donnell declared in a video that Trump’s “regime” was over.
Not every message landed well. Kim Kardashian posted “GOOD MORNING AMERICA” on X alongside a video of herself, which many fans read as a reaction to the results.
The post appeared to refer to her appearance on the TV programme of the same name, but some critics pointed to her past friendship with Trump’s daughter Ivanka. “Don’t try to switch up now,” one person replied.