Jimmy Kimmel struggled to hold back his tears during the opening monologue to his US talk show, describing Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election as a “terrible night”.

The comedian led US late-night chat show hosts offering their reaction after Mr Trump defeated Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, with Stephen Colbert noting the “deep shock and sense of loss is enormous” and Seth Meyers calling Mr Trump a “bad person”.

Meanwhile the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! kicked off his monologue noting that the choice for US president came down to a prosecutor and a criminal, “and we chose the criminal”.

“More than half of this country voted for the criminal who is planning to pardon himself for his crimes. I guess this election wasn’t rigged,” he joked.

Becoming emotional, Kimmel continued: “It was a terrible night for women, for children, for the hundreds of thousands of hard-working immigrants who make this country go, for health care, for our climate, for science, for journalism, for justice, for free speech.

“It was a terrible night for poor people, for the middle class, for seniors who rely on social security, for our allies in Ukraine, for NATO, for the truth, and democracy and decency.

“And it was a terrible night for everyone who voted against him. And guess what? It was a bad night for everyone who voted for him too, you just don’t realise it yet.”

Kimmel described it as a “really good night” for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and “lovable billionaires like Elon Musk” as well as “all the wriggling brain worms who sold what was left of their souls to bow down to Donald Trump”.

He joked his only request to Mr Trump is that he “share a prison cell with Taylor Swift” after they both endorsed Ms Harris for president.

Meanwhile, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert host began his opening monologue with a statement: “Well f***, it happened again.”

Colbert continued: “After a bizarre and vicious campaign fueled by a desperate need not to go to jail, Donald Trump has won the 2024 election.

“The deep shock and sense of loss is enormous.”

Similarly, The Late Night With Seth Meyers presenter also kicked off his show reflecting on the election, admitting he voted for Democratic nominee Ms Harris.

“I don’t think Donald Trump’s a good person, I’d even go so far as to say he’s a bad person,” Meyers said.

“Now, in my defence, I’m only basing that on everything I’ve ever been taught about what makes someone good or bad. That’s it.

“And this is real and this is something I accept, half the country thinks he’s a good person or they don’t care that he’s not because they think he’s a good president and because of that, he’s going to be our president again.

“That’s how democracy works in America. A country that is a privilege to live in.”