Tiffany Haddish Steps In as Daily MC on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”… Trump’s Independence Day Party and a Dig at Taylor Swift’s Wedding?

Hollywood comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish (Tiffany Haddish·46) stepped in as the daily host of ABC’s flagship talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, kicking off the network’s coverage of the country’s 250th anniversary Independence Day events by giving President Donald Trump and pop star Taylor Swift’s century-defining wedding a loud shout out with her trademark, no-holds-barred style—sending the home audience into fits of laughter.

■ The first act that fills in for Jimmy Kimmel’s two-month break… Unfolds sharp political satire

According to reports by the New York Times (NYT) and major foreign outlets on July 7 (local time), Tiffany Haddish appeared as a guest host on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” the night before, on July 6. It was the first installment of a special week arranged while the show’s main host, Jimmy Kimmel, entered an extended hiatus of about two months for his summer routine vacation and time to recharge. During this break, hot stars lined up as daily guest MCs, including Haddish, Rosie O’Donnell, Colman Domingo, and Jelly Roll—along with a slew of the president Donald Trump’s most notable rivals—drawing major attention.

Dressed in a dazzling gown and appearing amid loud cheers from the audience, Tiffany Haddish launched into an unflinching satire sword dance right from her opening monologue.

Her first target was President Donald Trump, who on July 4—U.S. Independence Day—held a large-scale celebration party for the country’s 250th anniversary of its founding (Semiquincentennial). Haddish displayed on screen photos from the party scene and the crowd size that the White House and Trump’s team had heavily promoted at the time, and delivered a sharp rebuke: “They said in the media that it was packed with people, but from where I’m sitting it looked totally empty. Honestly, the number of guests at the Jewish adult coming-of-age ceremony I threw before—my Bat Mitzvah—was way bigger than the crowd at Trump’s 250th birthday party.” The remarks sent the studio into an uproar of laughter.

■ “They left out just me and Guillermo”… Maxed out anger over Taylor Swift’s ‘mega wedding’ passing

After going after Trump, Haddish’s next target was the “ultra-luxury mega wedding” of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, which had left New York’s Madison Square Garden (MSG) fully paralyzed the previous day.

She looked toward Guillermo Rodriguez, the show’s regular panelist and mascot, and lamented, “Did you hear about the Taylor Swift wedding that had the whole world in a frenzy yesterday? It seems like Guillermo and I are the only ‘two-celebrity’ folks on Earth who weren’t invited to that wedding.”

Haddish reeled off a list of the guests she remembered and voiced her frustration. “Brad Pitt, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, Tom Hanks, Paul McCartney, Stephen Spielberg—on top of that, even the bassist from the band Fall Out Boy was there. Every famous person on Earth was gathered there,” she said. Then she added, “And even George Stepanopoulos went. I’m sorry to say this, George, but why on earth did you invite George Stepanopoulos? With all those sexy tuxedoed men, leaving me out is a waste of humanity. My mission is to make men look beautiful.” Her comeback triggered more roaring laughter from the audience.

Using her signature mischievous flair, she even looked straight into the camera and sent a video message. Haddish said, “Taylor, I’m sure there’s a good explanation. I probably just have the wrong email address.” Then she topped off the monologue by revealing a completely made-up fake email address: “If you’re watching this show, send the invitation to my official secret account, ‘hornytiffsheready420@hotmail.com.’”

■ A sharp mix of political satire and entertainment… Becomes the ratings fairy

Haddish’s run as host has been assessed as taking the lead immediately in the late-night talk-show ratings race in the first week of July by blending razor-sharp political and current-events satire with Hollywood gossip so seamlessly that the gap left by Jimmy Kimmel is not felt.

The New York Times praised it, saying, “Tiffany Haddish stripped the incumbent president’s national event and pop god’s biggest-ever spectacle down to their core—using her own unfiltered, raw comedic devices,” injecting a very strong dose of dopamine into the late-night entertainment front line ahead of the fall reshuffle. With the Trump administration’s moves and the afterglow of Taylor Swift’s wedding still lingering, American viewers’ expectations are soaring for what Haddish will do next—and the relay of subsequent guest hosts who will follow as daily stars.