ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel addressed whether his frequent criticism of President Donald Trump could be seen as "defending democracy" during an interview at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sunday.

After receiving an Emmy for Outstanding Host for a Game Show for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," Kimmel was asked about the many anti-Trump jokes he has made while hosting "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" The comedian said he doesn’t view them as protecting the country but admitted he enjoys taking jabs at the former commander in chief.

"I don’t necessarily feel like I’m defending democracy, but I do feel like I’m giving this guy a little poke. He deserves it, I enjoy it, and I love that people enjoy it too," he told reporters on the red carpet.

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Kimmel added that while he enjoys mocking Trump, the idea of doing so to defend democracy is too serious.

"Those are heavy thoughts, and I have a tendency to reject them," he said.

Opposition to the president and his agenda has been one of Kimmel’s calling cards throughout the Trump era. After Trump won re-election against then-Democratic challenger Kamala Harris last year, Kimmel broke into tears during the opening monologue of his show. 

Opposition to Trump and his agenda has been one of Kimmel’s calling cards throughout his presidency. After Trump won the 2024 election against Vice President Kamala Harris, Kimmel broke into tears during the opening monologue of his show.

"Let’s be honest, it was a terrible night last night," the host told viewers, adding that Trump’s new term would be bad for women and immigrants before choking up.

At the awards show, Kimmel was also asked whether he plans to continue hosting his late-night program. 

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"I don’t—you know—I’m not prepared to answer that question. But it is something I think about a lot. Things have changed over the last few years—what, nine years, I guess?—and each day is a new adventure. I take them as they come."

CBS announced earlier this summer that Stephen Colbert’s "The Late Show" would be canceled next May at the end of its current season. 

In response, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he hoped Kimmel’s show would be the next to be canceled.

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"The word is, and it’s a strong word at that, Jimmy Kimmel is NEXT to go in the untalentedd Late Night Sweepstakes and, shortly thereafter, Fallon will be gone," Trump wrote. "These are people with absolutely NO TALENT, who were paid Millions of Dollars for, in all cases, destroying what used to be GREAT Television. It’s really good to see them go, and I hope I played a major part in it!"

Kimmel, who returned to his show after a summer break, responded to Trump’s July post during his monologue last week. 

"Oh, you delicate, chubby little teacup, did we hurt your feelings? You want us to be canceled because we make jokes about you. I thought you were against cancel culture. I thought that was like their whole thing," he said. "When did you become so woke?"

A common artificial sweetener could make cancer treatments less effective, a new study has found.

Sucralose, a sweetener found in many diet sodas, low-calorie snacks and powdered sugar substitutes, could interfere with immunotherapy in cancer patients, according to research from the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.

The study included 132 patients with melanoma (a deadly form of skin cancer) and nonsmall cell lung cancer (the most common type of lung cancer).

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All patients were taking anti-PD1 (a type of immunotherapy), either alone or in combination with chemotherapy. 

They all completed dietary questionnaires that indicated the volume of artificial sweeteners they consumed.

The researchers found that the patients who consumed high levels of sucralose had a "worse response" to immunotherapy and "poorer survival" than those who consumed low amounts, according to a press release.

"We found that sucralose impeded the effectiveness of immunotherapies across a range of cancer types, stages and treatment modalities," said senior author Diwakar Davar, associate professor of medicine at Pitt and a medical oncologist and hematologist at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, in the release.

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"These observations raise the possibility of designing prebiotics, such as targeted nutrient supplementation for patients who consume high levels of sucralose." 

The findings were published in Cancer Discovery, a journal by the American Association for Cancer Research.

On a positive note, the researchers also found that taking supplements to increase levels of the amino acid arginine counteracted those effects and boosted the effectiveness of immunotherapy, as seen in a study of mice.

"It’s easy to say, ‘Stop drinking diet soda,’ but when patients are being treated for cancer, they are already dealing with enough, so asking them to drastically alter their diet may not be realistic," said lead author Abby Overacre, assistant professor in the Department of Immunology at Pitt and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, in the release. 

"We need to meet patients where they are. That’s why it’s so exciting that arginine supplementation could be a simple approach to counteract the negative effects of sucralose on immunotherapy."

In the mouse study, the sucralose was shown to alter the gut microbiome in a way that reduced levels of arginine. This amino acid is essential for T-cell function, which is a key component of immunotherapy drugs.

"When arginine levels were depleted due to sucralose-driven shifts in the microbiome, T cells couldn’t function properly," said Overacre. "As a result, immunotherapy wasn’t as effective in mice that were fed sucralose." 

Looking ahead, the researchers plan to launch a clinical trial investigating arginine supplementation in human cancer patients. They will also explore the potential impact of other sugar substitutes on immunotherapy effectiveness.

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and Gateway for Cancer Research.

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The Calorie Control Council provided the below statement to Fox News Digital.

"For people undergoing cancer treatment, all guidance should come from their healthcare team," said Carla Saunders, president of the council.

"This study has several limitations, relying on animal research that cannot be directly applied to humans, and [is] a small observational study in humans using self-reported dietary data, which is often subject to misreporting, underreporting and bias. While continued research is critical, scientific regulatory authorities worldwide, including the FDA, have repeatedly confirmed sucralose’s safety for decades."

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Fox News Digital reached out to manufacturers of sucralose-containing products requesting comment.