As Jimmy Kimmel made his highly anticipated return to the screen, Donald Trump levelled threats at ABC.
Kimmel, 57, was originally removed from air following comments he made about the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The 31-year-old controversial media personality was killed in a ‘political assassination’ during a Q&A at Utah Valley University on September 10.
It was confirmed yesterday that, six days after being taken off air ‘indefinitely’, the talk show legend would be reinstated, his suspension having sparked outrage across Hollywood.
The TV host, 57, got emotional as he shared his return monologue, telling audiences he ‘never meant to make light of murder’.
Over on Truth Social, the US President shared his own rage at Kimmel’s return, writing: ‘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.
‘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.
After accusing Kimmel of being ‘another arm of the DNC, he added: ‘I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see who we do.
‘Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 million. This one sounds even more lucrative,’ concluding that talk show hosts were a ‘true bunch of losers’.
Trump’s threat comes after ABC News agreed to settle a defamation lawsuit in December 2024, with the figurehead securing a $16m settlement from Paramount Global.
Kimmel also aimed his own words at Trump during his return monologue, after Trump criticised him last week as well.
‘You almost have to feel sorry for him. He tried his best to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired bigly. He might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now,’ he quipped.
Ahead of his return, outrage was bubbling away among Republicans.
In his own monologue on September 15, Kimmel, who began hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2003, said that the ‘MAGA gang’ was ‘desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them’ and trying to ‘score political points from it’.
Then, earlier this week, after the likes of Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks, and Ben Affleck publicly condemned the suspension as a violation of ‘free speech’, ABC announced Kimmel would be back on Tuesday.
Consequently, supporters of Kirk and US President Donald Trump, of whom Kirk was a known ally, slammed the decision.
Andrew Kolvet, an executive producer of The Charlie Kirk Show, wrote on X: ‘Disney and ABC caving and allowing Kimmel back on the air is not surprising, but it’s their mistake to make.’
‘Nexstar and Sinclair do not have to make the same choice’, he added, referring to the two station groups that represent about 25% of national TV audiences in the States and who have decided not to broadcast Kimmel’s return.
In their statement, Nexstar, which operates 28 ABC-affiliated stations, said: ‘We made a decision last week to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! following what ABC referred to as Mr. Kimmel’s “ill-timed and insensitive” comments at a critical time in our national discourse.
‘We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve.
‘In the meantime, we note that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be available nationwide on multiple Disney-owned streaming products, while our stations will focus on continuing to produce local news and other programming relevant to their respective markets.’
Elsewhere, conservative commentator Auron MacIntyre implored his 230,000+ strong following to contact affiliates and sponsors in a pressure campaign.
‘All hands on deck patriots,’ he wrote. ‘ABC wants America to know that terrorism will be rewarded. This cannot stand,’ urging people to inundate the inboxes of Mercedes-Benz, Target, Sirius XM, and more.
‘Everyone fights, no one quits’, he declared, later thanking Nexstar for ‘standing against leftist political violence’ by pulling the broadcast.
Other pro-Trump critics of Kimmel’s return include an X account named @MAGAVoice, which is verified and boasts 1.3million followers.
They wrote: ‘Disney ABC let the WOKE Mob get to them and decided to bring back Jimmy Kimmel. TIME TO BOYCOTT DISNEY.’
Conservative podcaster Matt Walsh further argued: ‘Kimmel’s show was put on pause for like 3 days and yet leftists will look us dead in the eyes and tell us that this was a greater attack on free speech than shooting and killing Charlie Kirk.’
Jimmy Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk in full
‘We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterise this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,’ Kimmel said during his show’s monologue on September 15.
‘In between the finger-pointing, the White House flew the flag at half-staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level, you can see how hard the president was taking this.’
Cameras then cut to footage of Donald Trump being questioned about Kirk’s assassination, to which he said he was holding up ‘very good’, swiftly changing the topic of conversation to White House renovations.
‘He’s at the fourth stage of grief: construction,’ quipped Kimmel.
While Trump himself has not yet voiced his thoughts on Kimmel’s reinstatement, the leader did previously welcome the suspension.
He also suggested that some TV networks should have their licences ‘taken away’ for airing negative coverage of him.
In their statement confirming Kimmel’s comeback, ABC shared: ‘We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.’
In stark contrast, many A-listers have been celebrating Kimmel’s return, including fellow talk show icon Stephen Colbert, who described the lifting of the suspension as ‘wonderful news for [his] dear friend Jimmy and his amazing staff’.
Twisters and Anyone But You actor Glen Powell will be Kimmel’s first guest back.
A version of this article was first published on September 23, 2025.
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