Jimmy Kimmel took another shot at one of his favorite targets: the Trumps. On his Nov. 7 show, the talk show host cited a not-so-surprising statistic about Americans looking to move to Canada, and used it to poke fun at the former and future first lady, Melania Trump.
In Thursday night’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! the late night comedian commented: “According to Google, searches for moving to Canada skyrocketed. Google searches for moving to Canada were up by 5000%,” he said, and joked: “That was just Melania doing it.”
Kimmel has capitalized on a subject that’s captured the nation: the Trumps’ confusing relationship. In several of Trump’s key moments, the first lady has been nowhere to be seen. This Wednesday, she missed a post-election celebration at Mar-a-Lago. Donald Trump Jr.’s son, Kai, posted an image of the event, captioning it “The whole squad,” with Melania noticeably absent.
Kimmel has made a career out of taking stabs at the Trumps. On an episode of his show following Trump’s hate speech-filled Madison Square Garden rally on Oct. 27, the comedian had some choice words about the event: “It was ugly. It was mean. It was hateful. It was racist, antisemitic. It was stupid,” he said. He also poked fun at Trump’s marriage, remarking that his wife made a “rare appearance” and joked that it was “in compliance with Section 3, Subsection 2.7 of her prenuptial agreement.” And he commented on an awkward moment where Melania appeared to snub her husband’s kiss: “Look at the way these two lovebirds interact with each other. Their chemistry, it’s positively smoldering,” he joked, adding: “There’s nothing more beautiful than watching a man and his wife try not to smudge each other’s bronzing cream.”
On an episode the night after Trump’s re-election, Kimmel said he was moving abroad. “I’m leaving the country,” he said after a sketch of him packing up his office. “I can’t stay for another four years of this. Who knows what he’s going to do? … He said he has a list of enemies. You think I’m not on that list?”
However, after last night’s episode, it seems Kimmel has changed his tune. “If you’re a democrat and you’re that upset about the election, don’t move to Canada. Move to Florida, move to Pennsylvania, where they need your votes,” he said.
It’s no surprise that Trump’s impending inauguration has Americans looking to flee the country. Millions of people are in danger of losing access to health insurance, abortions, and social services, so it makes sense they’d want to seek refuge elsewhere. And apparently, our neighbor to the north is the most popular option.
Thinking of immigrating to Canada? Don’t pack your bags just yet. You’ll want to know some key details before you consider an international move. According to CanadaVisa, you’ll need to obtain a Canadian work visa or study visa if you’re looking to move to the country long-term. Industries that the country is looking for workers in include teaching, science, medicine, finance, and law.
If your spouse or common-law partner is a Canadian, you’re in luck—they can sponsor you to obtain permanent resident status. However, if you’re not in a relationship with a Canadian, you’ll have to live in the country for at least a few years before you can apply to be a citizen.