Kimmel on TikTok CEO’s Invitation at Trump’s Inauguration: ‘It Might Only Be Down for One Day’

KIMMEL: “Online, people get annoyed with me because when I say TikTok is an app for teenagers — and they’re right, it’s not an app for teenagers. Just like crop tops are great shirts for old, fat guys.
(Laughter)
TikTok is for everyone. The problem with TikTok is, it’s totally controlled by the Chinese government. I heard a good explanation of why this is a problem, because I wasn’t sure why, exactly, it was a problem. The reason why the Chinese having our kids’ personal information is a threat is because kids aren’t kids forever. They grow up and get jobs. And when they do, the Chinese government will have all the passwords they use, they’ll have everything they’ve posted, their financial information in a lot of cases, messages, you name it, they will have it. Which isn’t so much of a problem if they grow up to work at, like, Petco.
(Laughter)
But some teenagers grow up and become nuclear physicists or they join the military or the State Department. Every single person in the army and the State Department used to be a teenager, I don’t know if you knew that.
(Laughter)
In the future, the Chinese government will have tons of their data to blackmail them with, and that’s why it’s a national security it there when your nephew films himself eating corn on the cob off a Makita drill bit.
(Laughter)
Did you know that, Guillermo?”
GUILLERMO: “Yes, Jimmy.”
KIMMEL: “Is that clearer now?
GUILLERMO: “Yes.
KIMMEL: “Are you on TikTok?
GUILLERMO: “No, I’m not on TikTok.”
KIMMEL: “Okay, very good. TikTok isn’t even allowed in China, where it comes from. Not only that, you know those Chinese chicken salads? They don’t have those either.
(Laughter)
It’s just us. But even though he talks very tough game about ‘Gyna,’ there is one guy who really does like TikTok.”

[Clip starts]
Trump: “We’re looking at TikTok. (...) We have some very big news on TikTok. (...) I’m on TikTok now. (...) I know a lot about TikTok. (...) I’m now a big star on TikTok. (...) We’ll take a look at TikTok. (...) We’re looking at TikTok. We may be banning TikTok. (...) We’re not doing anything with TikTok. (...) Joe Biden is responsible for banning TikTok. (...) If people want to save TikTok, they have to vote for me. (...) I could have banned TikTok. (...) I’m the one that says we should save TikTok. (...) TikTok. TikTok (...) TikTok. TikTok. TikTok. TikTok. (...) TikTok. (...) TikTok. (...) TikTok. (...) TikTok. (...) TikTok. (...) TikTok. (...) TikTok. TikTok. (...) Kid Rock.”
[Clip ends]

(Laughter)
KIMMEL: “No, wait, that’s unrelated. It has nothing —
(Applause)
We found out today that the CEO of TikTok will be in the front row at Trump’s inauguration on Monday, alongside Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and Elon Musk. So, it might only be down for one day, kids. But if it is, rest assured that there’s an old friend standing by to pick up the slack.”