AI Deepfakes of Late-Night TV Hosts Spread Online, Raising Misinformation and Free-Speech Concerns

The fake clips, made with generative AI, show Kimmel commenting on news events while his show is on summer break. Similar videos target other hosts such as Jon Stewart. These deepfakes are easier to create than other celebrity fakes because hosts typically sit or stand in one place and talk to the camera, with abundant high-quality audio available online.

Jed Rosenzweig, founder and editor of LateNighter.com, told NPR that late-night hosts are especially vulnerable because audiences are used to seeing them discuss politics. "If you see a Kimmel thumbnail tied to something Trump did yesterday, there's a built-in context and trust there that gives it a kind of camouflage," he said. Rosenzweig added that telltale signs include odd gestures, writing that does not sound like a live monologue, and the cloned voice running over news footage after about 10 seconds.

Yet some videos rack up hundreds of thousands of views, with comments like "Thank you Jimmy for speaking the truth." Rosenzweig said the Kimmel deepfakes are particularly concerning because of the host's contentious relationship with the Trump administration, which has repeatedly called for Kimmel to be fired. At a time when the Federal Communications Commission and ABC are in a legal battle over free speech, the fakes could strengthen the administration's resolve, he said. ABC did not respond to NPR's request for comment.

Dartmouth College computer science professor Hany Farid, who specializes in analyzing deepfakes, said creating such videos is simple. "In many cases, I can take a single image from a late show host and just animate it," he said. "Here's a voice, fifteen seconds. Here's a script. Go." He noted that late-night TV remains a place where many Americans get news and validate opinions, making these fakes effective.

According to a 2025 survey from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, about a quarter of Americans regularly watch late-night shows, most are Democrats, and more watch clips online than full shows. Farid and Rosenzweig said this may explain why fake monologues from right-leaning hosts are less common; instead, those fakes often appear as scams, such as "Sean Hannity says you should buy this cryptocurrency."

Representatives for Kimmel, Stewart, Hannity and Greg Gutfeld declined or did not respond to NPR's requests for comment. The creators of the deepfakes also did not respond. Farid suggested the motives could be ideological or financial — "pure clickbait."

TikTok, along with Google (which owns YouTube) and Meta (which owns Instagram), told NPR they require creators of deepfake content to label it. They are trying to police the spread of such content.