President Trump responds to Jimmy Kimmel’s return to air
Jimmy Kimmel’s return to broadcast television sparked mixed reactions from fans, Charlie Kirk supporters and politicians.
- “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Following the host’s comments on the murder of Charlie Kirk, he returned to ABC after a short break.
- In his return monologue, Kimmel said that she was never his intention to shed light on the murder, but defending freedom of speech.
- President Donald Trump criticized the ABC for regaining Kimmel and proposed that he might pursue legal action.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Following the host’s comments on the Republican reaction to Charlie Kirk’s murder, he returned to the air on September 23rd less than a week after being pulled out of Disney-owned ABC.
President Donald Trump praised the show’s break and also asked to fire other late-night shows hosts.
Jimmy Kimmel was emotional in his monologue Tuesday night, saying “I never intended to reveal the murder of a young man.”
He also criticised the Trump administration, promoted the importance of free speech and said it was “anti-Americans” who silence comedians.
“This show is not important,” Kimmel said in his monologue. “The key is that we can live in a country where we can do shows like this.”
How did Trump react to Kimmel’s return?
What did Trump post about Jimmy Kimmel?
Trump criticized Kimmel’s return in a social media post that came out before the show aired.
“I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job. The White House was told by ABC that his show had been cancelled! His audience was gone and his ‘talent’ wasn’t there, so something happened in the meantime,” Trump’s post said. “Why do they want someone who is so poor and risking their networks by playing 99% positive Democrat trash?”
Kimmel’s ratings are the second highest among late-night hosts after Colbert, but late-night television ratings have declined overall overall.
Trump also hinted at pursuing legal action, as he did with several other media companies.
“(Kimmel) is another DNC arm, and as far as I know, it will be a major illegal campaign contribution,” Trump said. “I think we’re going to test ABC on this. Let’s see how we do it. The last time I followed them they gave me $16 million, which sounds even more advantageous.
In March 2024, Trump sued ABC News, where host George Stephanopoulos hosted the host on questions about E. Jean Carroll, whom Trump had determined was liable for sexual abuse and defamation. According to Reuters, ABC News settled the lawsuit for $15 million in December. Another lawsuit against CBS News in October 2024 led to a $16 million settlement.
ABC News did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the concept of litigation.
What did Jimmy Kimmel say when he returned?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1tjh_zo_ty
Kimmel said in a monologue on September 23 that he disagreed with the ABC’s decision to pull him out into the air.
“I told them that, we had a lot of conversations. I shared my perspective, shared their stuff. We spoke through it. And they really didn’t have to do that – they really didn’t have to, this is a huge company, we’re a small part of Disney Corporation – they brought me back to the air.
Kimmel also admitted that he put the ABC in danger by bringing him back into the sky. Because “The President of the United States has made it very clear that me and the hundreds of people working here want to be fired from our work.
Following Kimmel’s suspension last week, Trump has called for the Jimmy Fallon and Seth Myers show to be cancelled.
Kimmel continued his monologue, “We have to resist this bully. He hasn’t stopped. It’s not just comedy. He’s targeting our journalists too. He’s suing them.
Nexstar and Sinclair continue to take the lead on Jimmy Kinmee
In a monologue on September 15th, Kimmel said, “We hit some new lows over the weekend, desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as something other than them and doing everything he could to score political points from there.”
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Kerr expressed his anger over the comments, apparently threatening ABC, Disney and Kimmel with the arrival of YouTube on September 17th, saying, “This can be done in an easy or difficult way.”
After ABC chose to regain the show, Sinclair Broadcast Group said it would take the Kimmel show first at ABC’s affiliate station and replace it with news programming. Nexstar Media Group Inc. has announced that the show will not be airing either.
“We support that pending decision that all parties are committed to fostering a respectful and constructive dialogue environment in the markets we serve,” Nexstar said in a press release.
Contributors: Anthony Robredo, Pamela Avila, Brendan Moreau, USA Today
Kinsey Crowley is a Trump Connect reporter for the USA Today Network. Contact her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and Tiktok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
