US President Donald Trump has criticized ABC for reinstating late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after a week-long suspension, calling the comedian “not funny” and warning the network he might “test” its decision.
The suspension was announced last Wednesday after government threats that linked Kimmel’s remarks about the assassination of conservative speaker Charlie Kirk to the obligation of broadcasters to operate in the public interest or risk losing their licenses from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
“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!” Trump wrote on Tuesday on Truth Social. ABC never announced, however, that ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ was permanently canceled.
Trump accused Kimmel of putting ABC “in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE,” adding, “we’re going to test ABC out on this.” He did not specify what actions he might take.
The suspension followed comments from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who during an interview accused Kimmel of helping to spread misinformation about the political ideology of Kirk’s alleged killer. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said.
Kimmel had drawn criticism for saying that “the MAGA gang” was trying to portray the shooter “as anything other than one of them,” while also faulting Trump for a perceived lack of empathy over Kirk’s death. In his monologue on Tuesday, Kimmel said the suspect was a “deeply disturbed individual” who did not represent any political group.
Trump has frequently targeted comedians who mock him. In June, he celebrated CBS’ cancelation of Stephen Colbert’s show and predicted that Kimmel or Jimmy Fallon might be next. Last week, he suggested that broadcasters giving him “bad publicity” could have their licenses revoked.
Kimmel’s future audience reach remains unclear. Nexstar and Sinclair – owners of hundreds of local television stations, including ABC affiliates – have vowed to block his program from their networks.
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