Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is under fire after calling Antifa “imaginary” and comparing it to Transformers villains in a bizarre on-air rant.

In a jaw-dropping segment that left both viewers and critics stunned, late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel ignited a firestorm this week after claiming that Antifa—a radical, far-left movement implicated in numerous protests and violent incidents—is nothing more than a fictional concept.

The moment quickly spiraled into an off-the-rails monologue about Transformers, childhood toys, and, somehow, cassette tapes.

The monologue began with Kimmel taking aim at conservative commentators and former President Donald Trump, scoffing at their concerns over Antifa’s existence and their descriptions of the group’s role in violent uprisings, particularly in cities like Portland.

“There’s no Antifa,” Kimmel said to a mix of laughter and stunned silence. “This is an entirely imaginary organization. There is not an Antifa. This is no different than if they announced they rounded up a dozen Decepticons.”

The reference to the villainous alien robots from the Transformers franchise immediately caught attention—but not for the reason Kimmel might have hoped. What followed next was a tangent that left even Kimmel’s own studio audience visibly confused.

“We’ve captured the chupacabra, everyone,” he added sarcastically. “And then it was Trump’s turn to ratchet up the rhetoric with fiery images conjured from… no one has any idea where.”

Then, without warning, Kimmel abruptly pivoted away from politics and into a nostalgic deep-dive into his childhood obsession with Transformers, pulling out what he claimed was his original 1984 Soundwave action figure.

“Finally, something I am qualified to talk about,” he said, holding the battered toy aloft. “I’ve got Soundwave right here. His head fell off while we were doing this.”

The host then spent several minutes recounting, in painstaking detail, the story of how he obtained the toy from a now-defunct Toys R Us just before his birthday.

He described begging his mother to buy it, the months of anticipation, and the joy of finally opening it on June 26, 1984. He even mentioned the figure’s companion cassette Ravage, which transforms into a robotic panther.

“Yes, you may say it’s ironic that a futuristic transforming robot transforms into a cassette player that was obsolete by 1987,” he mused, still clutching the dusty relic. “But still—it was pretty cool at the time.”

For Kimmel, the point of the rambling story was, apparently, to draw a distinction between fantasy and reality—a comparison many critics argue he failed to make with any clarity.

“The point of all that,” Kimmel concluded, “is that Soundwave here is a fictitious character who fought Optimus Prime and Bumblebee and Jazz.

Antifa are crazy people who burn down Pep Boys and Best Buys. That is the fundamental difference.”

Wait, what?

It was a moment of jarring contradiction. Having just declared Antifa “imaginary” and on par with Decepticons, Kimmel circled back to call them “crazy people” responsible for burning down auto shops and electronics stores.

Viewers were left scratching their heads, wondering which version he actually believed—if either.

The backlash was swift. Online, critics pointed out that while Antifa is not a centralized organization with formal leadership, it is far from imaginary.

Its presence has been documented in dozens of violent clashes, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, where federal courthouses have been vandalized, fires set, and entire city blocks overtaken during riots.

In Portland alone, law enforcement officials have long dealt with masked demonstrators identifying with the Antifa movement.

“You’d have to ask the people over at the Portland courthouse that they keep burning down,” one critic quipped on social media, referencing years of unrest.

The segment also sparked a broader discussion about the role of late-night comedy in modern politics.

Once a platform for lighthearted satire and celebrity interviews, shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live! have increasingly taken on overt political messaging, often aligning with progressive narratives and mocking conservative viewpoints.

But some say this time, Kimmel went too far.

“This wasn’t just political bias,” one former network executive told us. “This was a man rambling about toys and dismissing serious violence as if it were a Halloween costume party. It was bizarre, incoherent, and frankly out of touch.”

Others defended Kimmel, suggesting his over-the-top delivery and exaggerated toy analogy were simply part of his comedic persona. “He’s a comedian,” one viewer argued. “He uses absurdity to point out absurdity.”

Still, for many Americans watching from outside Hollywood’s bubble, the message seemed to miss the mark.

While violence on both sides of the political spectrum deserves scrutiny, waving it off as make-believe or lumping it in with cartoon villains doesn’t land well—especially for those whose cities have seen the real-world consequences of extremist ideologies.

As the segment circulated widely online, clips of Kimmel’s Decepticon remarks were edited into memes, TikToks, and commentary videos.

One particularly viral post featured footage of actual Antifa riots overlaid with Kimmel’s voice declaring them imaginary—juxtaposed with footage of Soundwave and Megatron in battle.

Kimmel has yet to respond directly to the criticism, and ABC declined to issue a comment on the segment. Whether he stands by his confusing monologue or chalks it up to a misfired joke remains to be seen.

But in an age where the line between satire and serious commentary grows ever blurrier, Jimmy Kimmel’s bizarre Transformer tirade may end up being remembered less for its comedy, and more for what it revealed about the state of political discourse in America.

One thing’s for sure: Soundwave may be missing his head, but after this segment, a few people are wondering if Jimmy Kimmel might be too.