President Donald Trump went full scorched-earth over ABC’s decision to bring back comedian and talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
Just an hour before the late-night host returned to air, the president fired off a furious post on Truth Social, claiming ABC had assured the White House that Kimmel’s show had been canceled and accusing the network of making an “illegal campaign contribution” by letting him back on TV. Trump, clearly seething, threatened to “go after them.”
“I think we’re going to test ABC out on this,” Trump wrote. “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.”
The threat didn’t come out of nowhere. Trump has had a long-standing vendetta against Kimmel, who’s used his platform to repeatedly mock the former president. But this latest outburst took things to another level—raising legal threats, making wild accusations, and implying that the White House (during his presidency) had direct involvement in conversations with ABC about Kimmel’s airtime.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak broke it down on air, saying the timing was no accident.
“The president waited more than a day to weigh in on Disney’s decision to bring Kimmel back, which was kind of a conspicuous silence,” Liptak said. “He waited until an hour before the show aired, essentially trying to pre-empt whatever Kimmel was going to say, and the president’s message was one of disbelief, but also intimidation.”
Trump alleged that ABC had previously communicated with the White House that Kimmel’s show was canceled—only to reverse course.
“‘Something happened between then and now because his audience is gone and his talent was never there,’” Liptak quoted from Trump’s post.
It’s a remarkable admission. Trump isn’t just attacking a comedian—he’s suggesting the government (his administration) was directly involved in internal decisions at a private media company. That goes well beyond culture war bluster and enters murky legal and ethical territory, especially given the involvement of current FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who has previously threatened to yank licenses from ABC affiliates over Kimmel’s criticisms.
“He’s not exactly explicit about what that would entail,” Liptak said of Trump’s latest threat. “Whether this is legal action or some kind of punishment by the government…whether through the [Federal Election Commission]…or through the FCC.”
Trump also repeated claims that Kimmel is essentially working as an extension of the Democratic National Committee—another attempt to paint satire as political sabotage, and to label criticism as illegal.
But here’s where things shift: even some of Trump’s most loyal defenders are starting to distance themselves from this line of attack.
Senator Ted Cruz said Trump was starting to sound “reminiscent of a mafioso.” Joe Rogan, hardly a liberal darling, said the government “should not be involved in dictating what a comedian can and cannot say.” And last week, Trump allies tried to spin Kimmel’s absence as a business decision by Disney—not a political stunt. That narrative has now imploded under Trump’s own words.
“Now, that argument never really held a lot of weight,” Liptak noted. “But now the president sort of completely pulling the rug out of that argument altogether.”
At the core of it all is Trump’s obsession with control—over his image, over the media, over what’s said and who says it. And while attacking the press is nothing new for Trump, turning a comedian’s airtime into a federal issue is a step too far—even for some in MAGA world.
What happens next is unclear. Legal action? More threats? Another meltdown the next time Kimmel cracks a joke?
What is clear: Trump’s war on late-night TV just turned into a spectacle of paranoia, ego, and desperation. And this time, even his base is starting to blink.
Watch Kevin Liptak’s commentary below on CNN:
