Jimmy Kimmel opened his show Thursday night with what he called “big news”—he ranked third globally on Google’s list of the top trending people of 2025.
The search giant’s annual “trending” charts track individuals whose search interest grew most significantly compared to the previous year—a metric that often favors breakout artists or newsmakers at the center of cultural flashpoints. This year’s list was led by musician d4vd, followed by Kendrick Lamar.
Kimmel mined the ranking for several minutes of monologue material, beginning by noting the company he found himself in.
“I was the third-most trending person in the world,” he told viewers. “I’m not sure if it’s an honor because number one was a singer named d4vd… who is a suspect in a murder. Number two is Kendrick Lamar, who murdered Drake at halftime of the Super Bowl. And then it’s me—even though I haven’t been involved in any murders at all.”
The always magnanimous Kimmel insisted he couldn’t take full credit for the achievement: “None of this would ever have happened without the support of loyal viewers like President Trump, who has done so much to raise awareness of our show,” he said. “Thank you for making me number three in the world. Somehow, I finished ahead of the pope. Eat it, Leo!” (Pope Leo, who was elected as the first US-born pontiff in May, ranked No. 5 on Google’s list.)
The host went on to reveal that he’d bet against himself landing in the top five after seeing online wagering odds. “I bet a sizable amount of money, and I lost,” he said. “So now when my kids don’t get a go-kart for Christmas, I can say, ‘It’s not Santa’s fault. It’s Google’s.’”
Watch Kimmel’s complete remarks below:
Jimmy Kimmel celebrates his No. 3 ranking on Google’s global list of the top trending people of 2025: "Suck it, Pope Leo!" pic.twitter.com/uca66kdG79
— LateNighter (@latenightercom) December 5, 2025
