Trump urges ABC to fire Jimmy Kimmel over on-air jokes

President Trump seems determined to get Jimmy Kimmel off the air.

First came the pressure applied by Trump administration officials on FCC chairman (and Trump loyalist) Brendan Carr over a crack Kimmel had made on his late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” criticizing the MAGA reaction to Charlie Kirk’s assassination. The campaign worked, and Kimmel was not only suspended but also had his show temporarily removed from being broadcast in most households. Trump, meanwhile, giddily celebrated the censorship.

Then, Trump and his minions took umbrage with a Kimmel joke about how Melania looked like an “expectant widow” because Trump has appeared frail and been dozing off in meetings. Even though the quip was made several days before the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump and Melania conflated its premise with the assassination attempt on Trump that evening. Melania demanded that ABC “take a stand” against Kimmel — prompting the pro-Trump FCC to reexamine the renewal of eight ABC broadcast licenses — while Trump has repeatedly called for Kimmel’s firing on social media and cable news.

“When is ABC Fake News Network firing seriously unfunny Jimmy Kimmel, who incompetently presides over one of the Lowest Rated shows on Television?” Trump posted to Truth Social Thursday. “People are angry. It better be soon!!!” (Kimmel’s show has solid ratings.)

On Thursday night’s edition of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” the comic fired back at Trump for demanding his ouster over a pair of relatively tame jokes. First, he read Trump’s Truth Social post aloud and put it up on the screen. The post drew loud boos from the crowd.

“If incompetently presiding over not just one of but he lowest rating in history is why I should be fired, we should both be out of a job,” Kimmel remarked, pointing to Trump’s low presidential ratings.

“Isn’t there a war dragging on?” the comedian continued. “Imagine if FDR had taken to the airwaves during the Battle of the Bulge to complain about a Little Orphan Annie comic strip he didn’t like? Trump has three wars going on right now: Iranians, Ukrainians, and comedians.”

Kimmel then aired a montage of clips of a “very prominent Republican” who railed against “censorship” and “cancel culture” on the campaign trail while celebrating “free speech” (you guessed it: Trump).

“I hate to say this, and I hope it doesn’t get me in trouble: I’m starting to think Donald Trump might be a hypocrite,” said Kimmel, before jokingly calling for a “ceasefire.”

He concluded by saying that Trump’s mission to silence Kimmel is meant to “distract us from the Trump-Epstein files” and the “illegal war he started” in Iran.

Source - Variety