President Barack Obama is ramping up his attacks on Donald Trump following the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel’s show.
The 44th president slammed ABC’s decision to pull ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ from the air after the network succumbed to pressure from the Federal Communications Commission.
‘After years of complaining about cancel culture,’ Obama wrote to his followers on X. ‘The current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.’
Kimmel came under fire in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination when he claimed a MAGA supporter was responsible for the killing.
On Monday, Kimmel said the following: ‘We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.’
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr on Wednesday threatened ABC and Disney to ‘change conduct and take action’ against Kimmel. Later that day, Nexstar, which airs Kimmel’s show on local affiliates across the country, announced it will no longer broadcast Kimmel’s show indefinitely following his comments.
Disney-owned ABC as well announced Kimmel’s show would no longer air on the network. Kimmel’s comedy career with ABC lasted more than 20 years through 23 seasons of his show.
‘This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it,’ Obama concluded.
Obama called on media companies not to surrender to efforts by the Trump administration to stifle free speech
Trump celebrated Kimmel’s firing during a press conference in the United Kingdom
The 44th president slammed ABC’s decision to pull ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ from the air
Trump, meanwhile, celebrated ABC’s decision during his press conference in London on Thursday.
‘Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings, more than anything else, and he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk,’ Trump said. ‘Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person… and they should’ve fired him a long time ago.’
Sinclair, who also runs ABC’s local broadcasts, said it would replace Kimmel’s time slot with a tribute to the deceased conservative activists Kirk on Friday.
Kimmel’s comments drew criticism from conservatives after prosecutors announced the accused Kirk shooter, Tyler Robinson, had shot Kirk because he had ‘enough of his hatred.’
Moreover, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox claimed Robinson held a ‘leftist ideology.’ Robinson also had a transgender lover before he allegedly murdered Kirk.
Late-night comedians were a staple during Trump’s first-term in the White House known for routinely mocking the president.
However, nine months into Trump’s second administration, networks have begun shuttering hosts after years of viewership decline.
Kimmel came under fire in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination when he claimed a MAGA supporter was responsible for the killing
Back in July, CBS announced ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ would be canceled in May 2026 after a decade on air.
