Donald Trump Criticizes Jimmy Kimmel’s Return to ABC

Former President Donald Trump has publicly criticized ABC‘s decision to bring back late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. During a recent post on his Truth Social platform, Trump expressed disbelief at Kimmel’s reinstatement, stating, “I think we’re going to test ABC out on this.”

In his scathing remarks, Trump lamented, “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was informed by ABC that his show was canceled! Something clearly changed because his audience is GONE, and his ‘talent’ was never there.”

Trump did not shy away from pointing out Kimmel’s perceived failures, stating, “Why would they want someone back who does poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE? He is yet another arm of the DNC, and as best as I know, that would be a major illegal campaign contribution. I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 million. This sounds even more lucrative. A true bunch of losers! Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad ratings.”

The $16 million figure mentioned by Trump refers to the amount Disney paid in a settlement regarding Trump’s defamation lawsuit against ABC News and anchor George Stephanopoulos. In December 2024, Disney agreed to a $15 million settlement to Trump’s presidential library, along with $1 million in legal fees, after misreporting that Trump had been found “liable for rape” by a jury—a point later clarified as he was found liable for sexual abuse against writer E. Jean Carroll in a civil case.

ABC temporarily pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air on September 17 following controversial remarks made by Kimmel regarding Charlie Kirk’s killer. However, just days later, Disney announced that the show would return to its regular timeslot, stating, “We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.” Both Sinclair and Nexstar, two large station groups, announced they would not air “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for the time being.

Trump’s earlier commentary suggested he believed that ABC had indeed canceled Kimmel’s show, calling the situation “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED.” He continued, congratulating ABC for having “the courage to do what had to be done.” Additionally, he criticized the ratings of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” relative to other late-night shows, branding Kimmel and his peers as “total losers.”

During a press conference in the U.K., Trump reiterated his criticisms of Kimmel, mentioning that Kimmel was “fired because of bad ratings more than anyone else” and asserting that Kimmel lacked talent. Trump also brought up comments Kimmel made regarding Charlie Kirk, although Kimmel did not directly criticize Kirk himself.

ABC’s decision to suspend Kimmel’s show came after remarks that raised considerable social tension. With FCC Chair Brendan Carr warning of potential investigations into ABC for Kimmel’s statements, modified action was deemed necessary. Carr indicated, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” referring to the scrutiny surrounding Kimmel’s comments as “some of the sickest conduct possible.”

On various occasions, Disney maintained that their decision to suspend Kimmel’s show was made to avoid exacerbating an already tense atmosphere in the country, ultimately leading to their decision for Kimmel’s show to make a return.