Donald Trump Celebrates Jimmy Kimmel's Suspension — Threatens Other Late Night Hosts

Two months after The Late Show With Stephen Colbert was given the axe by CBS after the network cited financial reasons, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suddenly taken off the air indefinitely. The decision from ABC, which is owned by the Walt Disney Company, came hours after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr spoke about the late-night host on a podcast.

Carr referenced comments Kimmel made about right-wing political pundit Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated a week prior. He told host Benny Johnson, "These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead." The network has not confirmed why it made this decision. That didn't stop President Donald Trump from dropping his response to the situation via a post to Truth Social.

President Trump took to Truth Social in the early hours of the morning — London time as he is in England for a state visit — to say that Kimmel's suspension was great news for America. "The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED," he wrote. It should be noted that ratings have steadily declined for all late night shows. In the second quarter of 2025, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was down three percent from the first quarter, per Late Nighter. The only show that saw an increase was Colbert's.

The president went on to congratulate ABC for "finally having the courage to do what had to be done." Trump accused Kimmel of having zero talent and pointed out that his ratings were worse than Colbert's. "That leaves Jimmy and Seth," he wrote, referring to Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, "two total losers, on Fake News NBC." He continued, "Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT."

It seems as if President Trump has had a change of heart about Jimmy Fallon. As a reminder, he was a guest on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon twice during his first presidential campaign. In September 2016, the president famously let Fallon ruffle his hair in order to prove it wasn't a toupée.

It's not unusual for late-night hosts to poke fun at politicians, even hosts as family-friendly and apolitical as Jimmy Fallon. The day before it was announced that Kimmel was suspended, Fallon told a ton of jokes about President Trump and his second state trip to England. "Trump really loves the U.K.," quipped Fallon, "especially because when he holds a little tea sandwich, his hands look normal-sized."

Fallon also joked that King Charles and Queen Camilla are President Trump's favorite king and queen next to Burger and Dairy. As the audience laughed, Fallon smiled and said, "Yeah, it was a good joke." We'll see if these jokes are protected under the First Amendment.