Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has launched a blistering response to Donald Trump's latest demand for his termination from ABC, marking another chapter in the ongoing feud between the comedian and former president.
The Presidential Broadside
Early on Thursday morning, Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to launch another attack on the ABC comedian, declaring that Jimmy Kimmel has "NO TALENT" and "VERY POOR TELEVISION RATINGS" while demanding the network fire him immediately.
During his show later that evening, Kimmel responded with characteristic defiance, pointing out that this wasn't the first time Trump had attempted to have him removed from television. "You've done this before. You tried to get me fired in September. It didn't work," Kimmel told his audience, adding with sarcastic admiration, "Mr President, I admire your tenacity."
A Pattern of Pressure
The September incident referenced by Kimmel saw his show briefly suspended by ABC following pressure from two of the network's major affiliate partners, Nexstar and Sinclair, along with Trump's appointed Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr. The suspension came after comments Kimmel made about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel revealed that his wife had informed him of Trump's latest social media attack. "I woke up this morning, I'm in bed, my wife comes out of the bathroom - she's got her phone. She goes, 'Um, Trump tweeted you should be fired again.' I was like, 'Oh,' and then I went downstairs and made bagels for the kids," he recounted, demonstrating his casual response to the presidential criticism.
The comedian didn't hold back in his characterisation of Trump, labelling him a "snowflake" and expressing concern about the frequency of the attacks. "I have honestly lost now of how many times the president has demanded I be pulled off the air," Kimmel said. "Every five weeks, he flips out and wants me fired. If you got this many threats from a neighbour, you'd have no problem getting a restraining order."
Broader Implications and FCC Review
The conflict has extended beyond personal animosity into regulatory territory. This week, the FCC announced it would take public comments for a review examining whether national broadcasters like ABC wield excessive power over local stations that carry their programming.
FCC chair Brendan Carr has repeatedly argued that local stations lack sufficient authority to push back against national programmes they believe don't serve their local viewers' interests. Public comments on this matter are due by 10th December, a development Kimmel directly linked to the September suspension of his show.
Kimmel suggested the review was clearly connected to what happened in September, when after only a few days - and facing intense viewer pressure - Nexstar and Sinclair reversed their decision and reinstated his programme. "No doubt because of what happened the last time they tried to strangle me," he remarked.
In his closing remarks to the former president, Kimmel borrowed from Trump's own playbook, referencing the sexist slam Trump directed at a Bloomberg News reporter on Friday by telling him: "Quiet, piggy."
The late-night host offered a potential resolution to their ongoing conflict, proposing: "Let's ride off into the sunset together" - suggesting he'd be happy to leave his position if Trump was willing to resign from his political ambitions as well.
Trump has recently targeted other late-night comedians, including calling for NBC to fire Seth Meyers. Meyers responded by comparing the situation to "handling an angry driver who honks and flips you off on the highway", while acknowledging that "on a lot of nights, he's got a point" about criticism of his show.
