Trump Calls for ABC to Fire Late-Night Host Kimmel
U.S. President Trump on Monday said ABC and its parent company Walt Disney should immediately fire Jimmy Kimmel. Last Thursday, Kimmel referred to Melania Trump as "radiant, like a pregnant widow" in a segment mocking the upcoming White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Last Saturday, Trump and the First Lady were rushed from a dinner event at the Washington Hilton Hotel after a shooting occurred in the lobby. A suspect identified as Cole Allen rushed past security and fired at Secret Service agents, injuring one, before being subdued and arrested.
Trump has repeatedly urged broadcasters to pull comedy or news programs he dislikes or that have criticized him, and has pressured regulators to take action to revoke the licenses of broadcasters he deems unfair. Experts note that broadcasters enjoy broad First Amendment rights to produce jokes – even offensive ones.
Earlier Monday, Melania Trump called Kimmel’s remarks “destructive” and saw them as a symptom of the “political sickness” in America, as she described it.
The matter represents the first test for Josh D’Amaro, who took over as Disney’s chief executive last month.
“Enough is enough. It’s time for ABC to take a stand. How many more times will ABC management allow Kimmel to get away with these atrocious attacks on our community?” Melania Trump wrote in a post on social media, “People like Kimmel should not be allowed to enter our homes every night to spread hatred.”
She added, “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is designed to divide our nation. His monologue about my family was not comedy – his words are destructive and exacerbate the political sickness in our country.”
Trump, who has previously called for Kimmel to be taken off the air, said the comedian’s joke “went way over the line. Disney and ABC should immediately fire Jimmy Kimmel.”
FCC Pressure on Broadcasters
In September of last year, the chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) pressured broadcasters to pull Kimmel’s show. That same month, ABC briefly suspended its show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” over Kimmel’s remarks about the attempted assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Hours before the suspension, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr warned that local broadcasters airing Kimmel’s program could face fines or license revocation, stating it was “time for them to step up.”
His comments drew strong opposition from the entertainment industry as well as bipartisan figures in politics, including Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who compared Carr’s threat to that of a mob boss.
In September of last year, Sinclair and Nexstar Media Group briefly pulled Kimmel’s show from their 70 ABC affiliate stations, covering nearly a quarter of U.S. households.
Carr had approved a $3.5 billion merger between Nexstar and Tegna, but a U.S. judge has paused the deal.
Carr has said he wants to make it easier for local broadcasters to replace national programming. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday regarding the First Lady’s remarks.
Sinclair and Nexstar did not immediately comment Monday.
Trump, who has survived two assassination attempts, has repeatedly attacked the media and threatened to revoke broadcast licenses. In September of last year, Trump praised Kimmel’s suspension.
In November of last year, Trump criticized an ABC News reporter for questioning the Saudi Crown Prince about the 2018 murder of a Washington Post columnist and suggested the FCC should take action to revoke the broadcast license of ABC, which is owned by Disney.