Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images
The president got what he has wanted for a very long time.
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As members of the entertainment industry decry the increasingly overreaching nature of the Donald Trump administration — especially after the Federal Communications Commission pushed for Jimmy Kimmel Live to be pulled off the air, over his commentary on Charlie Kirk’s murder — the president has now moved to demand the cancellation of other late-night shows he dislikes.
The joke that got Kimmel in trouble was so measured and seemingly innocuous that many still don’t understand why it was considered offensive. Kimmel said, “The MAGA Gang (is) desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
The ongoing debate surrounding Tyler Robinson has since shifted from simply asking how such a tragedy could happen to questioning whether far-right radicals should now be considered “better” than their far-left counterparts — a pointless pursuit with no clear path to actually reducing political violence.
Kimmel was underscoring this when he aired a clip of Trump responding to a reporter’s question about how he was holding up, only for the president to make a bizarre pivot to the White House ballroom still under construction. Kimmel then joked, “He is at the fourth stage of grief: Construction.” He then went on to land his punchline, “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.” Shortly after, Nexstar removed Jimmy Kimmel Live from all 32 of its ABC stations, followed by Sinclair, which announced it would also suspend the show. Sinclair added that Kimmel’s indefinite leave would only end after he delivered an on-air apology and made a “significant” donation to Kirk’s family and his media company, Turning Point USA.
Not a big fan of Jimmy Kimmel, but if you think his show should be canceled for this, you’re a hack and a total fraud who should never pretend to care about free speech pic.twitter.com/FSiktbva6y
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) September 17, 2025
On X, users reacted with shock. One described the demanded donation as more than a bribe, calling it “North Korean-esque” to enforce a specific talking point on television. Culture Crave resurfaced old statements from FCC chairman Brendan Carr, who once called political satire “the most important form of free speech.” Another user wondered not about the origin of Carr’s change of heart but how he manages to sleep at night.
According to People, Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate the development and mock Kimmel’s ratings: “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible.” The president then took aim at his remaining late-night adversaries: “That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT.”
According to Deadline, Kimmel was first approached with this “offer” of an apology and donation, but refused, reportedly planning to clarify how MAGA took his comments out of context and address them directly. However, Disney CEO Bob Iger ultimately decided it would be less trouble to suspend him.
It remains to be seen if Kimmel will eventually issue a public apology. Perhaps more interesting, though, is how MAGA-aligned comedians — who once celebrated the defanging of cancel culture — will respond to this moment. Trump has either completely killed late night or has resuscitated it depending on how the late night comedians will choose to respond to this onslaught on their careers.
Published: Sep 18, 2025 08:36 am