Donald Trump suggested he’s going to sue ABC again after they decided to bring back Jimmy Kimmel.
Trump accused ABC of deceit before promising to ‘test’ them out on the move ahead of Kimmel’s first show back on Tuesday night.
‘I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled! Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his ‘talent’ was never there,’ Trump wrote.
‘Why would they want someone back who does so 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, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution,’ he added.
‘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 Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative. A true bunch of losers! Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad Ratings.’
In December, ABC News agreed to pay out millions to Trump to settle a lawsuit over assertions made by top anchor George Stephanopoulos that he was found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll.
It stipulates that the network will pay $15 million as a charitable contribution towards Trump’s presidential library.
ABC also posted a note on its website expressing regret over the claim in a March 10 segment on ‘This Week’ made by Stephanopoulos.
Donald Trump suggested he’s going to sue ABC again after they decided to bring back Jimmy Kimmel
Trump accused ABC of deceit before promising to ‘test’ them out on the move ahead of Kimmel’s first show back on Tuesday night
They will also pay his legal fees as part of the settlement, which have totaled $1 million.
A statement from the network said: ‘ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024.’
Trump had sued Stephanopoulos and the network for defamation soon after the segment aired.
His lawyers accused Stephanopoulos of making the statements with ‘malice’ and a disregard for the truth.
He has also launched lawsuits against other left leaning media giants since returning to the White House, most recently coming after The New York Times for $15billion over a supposed ‘decades long method of lying about your Favorite President (ME!).’
Last week, a Florida judge tossed out 85-page lawsuit and ordered him to file an amended complaint no more than 40-pages long.
Trump has also sued CBS News’ ’60 Minutes,’ which like the ABC matter settled out of court.
Two months ago, Trump also sued The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch after the newspaper published a story reporting on his ties to wealthy financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
While none of Trump’s media lawsuits have made it to court, in court papers, he claimed the settlements with ABC and CBS as part of his ‘successful undertaking to restore integrity to journalism.’
In spite of Trump’s latest threat against the ABC, the network has forged ahead with Kimmel’s return after announcing last week the show would be ‘preempted indefinitely’ in the wake of his controversial remarks about the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel fought back tears as he tried to explain his comments about Kirk that almost cost him his job.
‘It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,’ he said, fighting back tears. ‘I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.’
According to Variety, ABC’s decision to pull the show came after Nexstar Media, which operates dozens of affiliate stations across the country, threatened to drop Kimmel’s show from its programming lineup.
The dispute quickly became a flashpoint in the ongoing debate over free speech, political satire and the limits of late-night comedy.
On Monday, the ACLU and stars like Robert De Niro, Jane Fonda, Ben Affleck, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep signed an impassioned, open letter ‘in solidarity’ with the host.
The letter begins: ‘We the people must never accept government threats to our freedom of speech. Efforts by leaders to pressure artists, journalists, and companies with retaliation for their speech strike at the heart of what it means to live in a free country.
In December, ABC News agreed to pay out millions to Trump to settle a lawsuit over assertions made by top anchor George Stephanopoulos that he was found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll
‘Last week, Jimmy Kimmel was taken off the air after the government threatened a private company with retaliation, marking a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation.
‘In an attempt to silence its critics, our government has resorted to threatening the livelihoods of journalists, talk show hosts, artists, creatives, and entertainers across the board. This runs counter to the values our nation was built upon, and our Constitution guarantees.
‘We know this moment is bigger than us and our industry. Teachers, government employees, law firms, researchers, universities, students and so many more are also facing direct attacks on their freedom of expression.’
‘Regardless of our political affiliation, or whether we engage in politics or not, we all love our country. We also share the belief that our voices should never be silenced by those in power – because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.
‘This is the moment to defend free speech across our nation. We encourage all Americans to join us, along with the ACLU, in the fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights.’
In total, more than 430 movie, TV and stage stars as well as comedians, directors and writers added their names.
Hours later, Disney announced that it was reversing the ‘indefinite’ hiatus ordered Monday amid backlash to Kimmel’s suspension.
During his September 15 monologue, Kimmel said: ‘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 with everything they can to score political points from it.’
Jimmy Kimmel returned to airwaves on Tuesday night with a heartfelt monologue about the importance of free speech
Kimmel was emotional as he clarified he never intended to mock Kirk’s death, and voiced support for his wife, Erika
He received standing ovations from the crowd as he addressed the saga
He was reprimanded Wednesday by Carr, who told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson that he was considering an investigation into Kimmel and ABC over the comments.
Executives at Sinclair and Nexstar responded by telling ABC and Disney they would not be airing Kimmel’s show until the comments were addressed.
Kimmel condemned Carr in particular on Tuesday night, accusing the FCC of being ‘not legal, not American, that is un-American’ for targeting him.
He then asked: ‘Should the government be allowed to regulate which podcasts you download?’
He then said of Carr… ‘in addition to being a direct violation of the first amendment, is not a particularly intelligent threat.’
‘Brendan Carr is the most embarassing car Republicans have embraced since this one,’ Kimmel cracked, before showing a photo of a Trump-branded Tesla.
A spokesman for Kirk’s non-profit organization, Turning Point USA, has called on both broadcasters to not ‘cave.’
Additionally, Sinclair called on Kimmel to issue a direct apology to the Kirk family and also make ‘a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA.’
Carr, during his conversation with Johnson, called an apology ‘a very reasonable, minimal step that can be taken.’
