Ike Barinholtz takes on Trump teleprompter betting claims
The Jimmy Kimmel Live guest host riffed on reports that Gabriel Perez allegedly bet on words Donald Trump would use in speeches.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
Ike Barinholtz used his Thursday night stint behind the Jimmy Kimmel Live! desk to jump on a Washington story built for late night: a Trump teleprompter operator accused of betting on the president’s own speeches.
According to Mashable, the monologue focused on reports that Gabriel Perez allegedly used the prediction market platform Kalshi to wager on words Donald Trump would say during addresses.
The BBC reported that a White House staff teleprompter was being investigated for allegedly making nearly $100,000 through bets tied to Trump’s speeches. CNN reported that Perez is accused of placing bets through Kalshi on the language the president would use.
Barinholtz, guest-hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live!, framed the allegation as a case of inside information, saying the person running Trump’s teleprompter had “reportedly made more than $100,000” betting on topics the president would mention in speeches.
The actor, who appears in The Studio, then landed the monologue joke with a baseball-flavored jab: “He’s a regular Pete Rose Garden.”
Late night pounces on the allegation
Mashable reported that the teleprompter betting allegation became a topic across late night shows on Thursday, with Barinholtz putting it at the center of his Kimmel monologue.
The allegation turns on a specific kind of wager: bets on what words or subjects Trump would include in public remarks. Kalshi is described in the report as a prediction market platform, where users can place bets on future outcomes.
No details were reported about which speeches were involved, which words were allegedly bet on, or the status of any investigation beyond the BBC’s report that the staffer was being investigated and CNN’s report that Perez had been accused.
Mashable’s account did not include a response from Perez. It also did not report any comment from Trump, the White House, or Kalshi about the allegations.
For Barinholtz, the story offered a neat late-night setup: a teleprompter operator, a betting platform, and a president whose prepared remarks could allegedly become a market. His punchline tied the claimed betting edge to Pete Rose, the baseball figure whose name remains closely associated with wagering in sports.
Barinholtz was filling in as guest host on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, continuing the show’s run of guest-led monologues aimed at the week’s political news.
This story draws on original reporting from Mashable.