Jimmy Kimmel is hitting back at President Donald Trump's latest shoutout.
The late-night host, 58, responded on his Oct. 12 show after Trump called him a "loser" during a recent rally.
"You'll never guess who got a shoutout," Kimmel said before playing a clip of the president at a rally in Clarksville, Tennessee. In the clip, Trump took issue with Kimmel for saying one of his events was "sparsely attended," before calling Kimmel "crooked."
"Of all the things I said about him last week, of all the many moronic and criminal words and deeds I detailed, that's what bothers him?" Kimmel asked. "Me pointing out the fact that his rallies have empty seats? Well, in that case, let's do it again: There were many empty seats at the rally. So many empty seats!
There were even empty seats at the rally where he complained about me saying he had empty seats at the rally."
In a statement, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle responded, "Jimmy Kimmel is a no-talent loser who has beclowned himself with tanking ratings and by spewing disgusting lies to his dwindling audience. He is so devoid of actual talent that nobody with any commonsense would ever watch him unless it was to laugh at his miserable failures."
Trump has frequently taken issue with reports of empty seats at his events. In an Oct. 5 post on Truth Social, he maintained that "what does happen at all of my SOLD OUT Rallies, is that the people in the upper sections tend to migrate down to the Main Floor." He added, "I never have empty seats — Never have, and never will!"
Kimmel dismissed this, saying on his show, "Isn't it interesting that never happens at a Lakers game? People just moving up to the front."
In another post, Trump said news outlets that report there are empty seats at his events "should be arrested for their dishonesty and disservice to our Country."
Kimmel's latest monologue also covered news that Katie Zacharia will be the next White House press secretary. The comedian sarcastically told his audience the person who got the job is a Harvard graduate with a master's degree from the Columbia Journalism School, only to reveal the position actually went to a conservative commentator.
"Katie met a number of qualifications for the job," Kimmel said. "She has blonde hair. She can do a thumbs up. End of list. Really, what else do you need?"
And Kimmel reacted to Trump being passed over for Nobel Peace Prize, joking, "The president took the perceived snub well. He only posted a 600-word tirade lashing out."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jimmy Kimmel reacts after President Trump calls him a 'loser' at rally
