Trump Urges ABC To Fire ‘Bum,’ Jimmy Kimmel, as White House Turns Up Pressure on Network, Threatens Its Broadcast License

President Trump is urging ABC to fire its late-night host, Jimmy Kimmel – who on Wednesday night called the president’s retinue “cartoonishly evil” – months after the network temporarily suspended him for his comments about the murder of Charlie Kirk.In a post on Truth Social late Wednesday night, Mr. Trump wrote, “Why does ABC Fake News keep Jimmy Kimmel, a man with NO TALENT and VERY POOR TELEVISION RATINGS, on the air? Why do the TV Syndicates put up with it? Also, totally biased coverage. Get the bum off the air!!!”The post was made after Mr. Kimmel criticized Mr. Trump for hosting a White House dinner with the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman. The late-night host said the attendees, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and Elon Musk, are “cartoonishly evil.”This week, the president and the White House ratcheted up the pressure on ABC over its anti-Trump programming and the conduct of its employees. On Tuesday, Mr. Trump lashed out at ABC News’s chief White House correspondent, Mary Bruce, after she asked him and the crown prince questions in the Oval Office about the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, about the Trump family’s business interests, and about Jeffrey Epstein, which the president found enraging.“You’re a terrible person and a terrible reporter,” the president said, describing Ms. Bruce as “insubordinate,” as he suggested the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, should “look at” revoking ABC’s broadcast license. On Wednesday, the White House put out a statement on Wednesday detailing what it said is “fake news,” ABC’s long, rich tradition of peddling lies, conspiracies, and outright opinion thinly veiled as fact.”On Wednesday night, Mr. Kimmel, who regularly skewers Mr. Trump and Republicans on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, mocked the president for suggesting that ABC should lose its broadcast license. “I don’t know. The last time your FCC guy looked at that, didn’t go so great for you,” Mr. Kimmel said on Tuesday night.His comment most likely referred to his suspension in September, which came after he said a “MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.” By the time of his comment, officials had said the suspect held left-wing views.After Mr. Kimmel’s September comment sparked an uproar among conservatives, two of the nation’s largest station groups, Sinclair and Nexstar, said they would preempt Mr. Kimmel’s show due to what they felt were his insensitive comments. The decision by Sinclair and Nexstar to preempt Mr. Kimmel’s show was cast as the station groups caving to pressure from the federal government after Mr. Carr said on September 17 that broadcasters “can find ways to take action on Mr. Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” Nexstar needs a waiver from the FCC to purchase the Tegna station group, which would give it far more stations under its aegis than current ownership regulations, which many media industry figures call archaic, allow.Mr. Carr’s comment, which was made hours before Sinclair and Nexstar announced their decision to preempt Mr. Kimmel’s show, was seen as a threat of future government action. (Mr. Carr has denied he was making a threat and that he merely meant an individual might file a complaint against the broadcasters, which the FCC would be statutorily obligated to investigate.)When Mr. Kimmel returned to the air on September 23, he told viewers he was not trying to “make light of the murder of a young man,” or blame any side for Kirk’s murder.The closest he came to an apology was stating that he “get[s]” why people are upset with his comments.He wound down his opening monologue by lambasting Mr. Carr. Academy Award-winning actor Robert DeNiro, a devoted foe of Mr. Trump, made a surprise appearance, playing a Brendan Carr-like FCC chairman threatening Whoopi Goldberg with being thrown off the George Washington Bridge for insulting Mr. Trump on “The View.”Mr. Trump threatened to sue ABC for bringing Mr. Kimmel back from suspension. Mr. Kimmel’s return to the airwaves saw more than 6 million viewers tune in, marking the highest ratings he has received in more than a decade, which is likely what he was referring to when he responded to Mr. Trump’s latest call for ABC to lose its broadcast license. (The night after Mr. Kimmel’s triumphal return, only 1.7 million viewers tuned in, one of his lowest-rated shows in some time, and the show has continued to perform poorly.)The president has taken aim at other late-night hosts who have mocked him, such as NBC’s Seth Meyers. In a post on Truth Social last week, the president wrote, “NBC’s Seth Meyers is suffering from an incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS). He was viewed last night in an uncontrollable rage, likely due to the fact that his ‘show’ is a Ratings DISASTER. Aside from everything else, Meyers has no talent, and NBC should fire him, IMMEDIATELY!”Mr. Carr shared Mr. Trump’s post on X without any comment. Mr. Meyers laughed off the president’s post, saying on Monday, “When you accuse me of Trump derangement syndrome, I take that diagnosis seriously, because you’re clearly a medical expert, as evidenced by your description of your recent MRI.”“I take no issue with the president voicing his displeasure with my show,” Mr. Meyers said. “That is his right and, on a lot of nights, he’s got a point.”Mr. Trump celebrated when CBS canceled “The Late Show,” hosted by anti-Trump comedian Stephen Colbert.“I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings,” the president said on Truth Social after Mr. Colbert’s firing was announced. “I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!”Mr. Trump has also been on a tear attacking the former Clinton operative, George Stephanopoulos, who co-hosts ABC News’ “Good Morning America” and, on some Sundays, “This Week With George Stephanopoulos.” Last year, Disney paid Mr. Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit he brought against ABC after Mr. Stephanopoulos stated on air, falsely and repeatedly, that Mr. Trump had “been found liable for rape.” Mr. Stephanopoulos, whose name was attached to the apologetic editor’s note published by Disney as part of the settlement, has continued to behave in a partisan fashion on air. Last month, he cut off an interview with Mr. Vance after the vice president refused to go into detail on a report by MSNBC that Mr. Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, had taken a cash bribe in a canvas bag prior to his appointment. Mr. Trump expressed outrage at how Mr. Stephanopoulos had cut off the interview, calling him “a very nasty person.” ABC did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.

Trump Urges ABC To Fire ‘Bum,’ Jimmy Kimmel, as White House Turns Up Pressure on Network, Threatens Its Broadcast License

More from the New York Sun

Trump Hands California Democrats a Gift, Endorsing GOP Candidate in Wide-Open Jungle Primary

Court Orders PLO and Palestinian Authority Must Pay $656 Million to American Terror Victims

A New Exhibition Shows Why Édouard Vuillard Is Among the Great Post-Impressionist Painters

More from the New York Sun

Trump Hands California Democrats a Gift, Endorsing GOP Candidate in Wide-Open Jungle Primary

Court Orders PLO and Palestinian Authority Must Pay $656 Million to American Terror Victims

A New Exhibition Shows Why Édouard Vuillard Is Among the Great Post-Impressionist Painters

Pepsi, British Beverage Brand Diageo Drop Sponsorship of Longtime Music Festival After It Announces Kanye West as Headliner

Branding Social Media Platforms ‘Addictive’ Ignores Individual Responsibility

‘A Great Awakening’: How Benjamin Franklin’s Press and Whitefield’s Pulpit Inspired America’s Revolution

‘Dance’ Music Gives Classic Broadway Choreography a Fresh Twist

‘He Has Gone Insane’: Expletive-Laden Iran Post From Trump on Easter Sunday Prompts Shock, Dismay