President Donald Trump lost it at late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel in a Truth Social post early Thursday, accusing the ABC host of being a “bum” with “very poor television ratings.”
“Why does ABC Fake News keep Jimmy Kimmel, a man with NO TALENT and VERY POOR TELEVISION RATINGS, on the air?” Trump asked in the post. ”Why do the TV Syndicates put up with it? Also, totally biased coverage. Get the bum off the air!!!”
Donald Trump/Truth Social
In response to Kimmel’s monologue, his show was briefly suspended and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened to revoke ABC’s broadcasting license if Kimmel were not held accountable.
The move sparked significant backlash across the country, with multiple celebrities and media personalities, including Disney stars and all of Kimmel’s fellow late–night hosts, criticizing the suspension.
The president has once again called for Jimmy Kimmel to be taken off the air. Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images
As Carr was making threats, Trump was posting up a storm, congratulating ABC for cancelling the “ratings challenged” Jimmy Kimmel Live! and urging NBC to do the same to its own late night hosts, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers.
Even prior to Kirk’s death, Trump had his sights set on Kimmel, posting in July, “The word is, and it’s a strong word at that, Jimmy Kimmel is NEXT to go in the untalented Late Night Sweepstakes and, shortly thereafter, Fallon will be gone.”
”It’s really good to see them go, and I hope I played a major part in it!”
Undeterred by threats of suspension, Kimmel has continued to target Trump in his monologues, including by highlighting Trump being recorded yelling at a female reporter, “Quiet, piggy!”
Trump was recorded yelling at a reporter, “Quiet, piggy!” during a gaggle aboard Air Force One. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
“Trump is not a happy little meal right now,“ Kimmel said on Tuesday. ”Every time he gets asked about Jeffrey Epstein, he loses his mind.”
“He said ‘Quiet, piggy’ to a reporter and it barely made the news. If a man spoke like that to a female co-worker in a workplace harassment training video, you’d go, ‘Ah, that’s over the top. Nobody would do that.’”
In his Wednesday monologue, which aired just prior to Trump’s post being made, Kimmel discussed Elon Musk’s return to the White House after his departure from DOGE in May.
“Their relationship is like a Cybertruck. It’s cold one minute, on fire the next,” Kimmel said of Trump and Musk.
“I guess they made up,” he continued. “Musk publicly threatened to drop a big Epstein bomb on Trump, but now I guess they’re cool.”