Last week, after ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show from the air, Donald Trump took a victory lap of sorts online. The president, who’d railed against the comedian for years, said Kimmel’s show had been “cancelled,” which the Republican characterized as “great news for America.”
Like many of Trump’s claims, this wasn’t true: The show and its host had been put on ice, but there’d been no cancelation announcement. Indeed, this week, ABC agreed to bring back the host, and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” aired anew on Tuesday night.
The president was apparently not pleased. The New York Times reported:
‘I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back,’ he complained in a social media post, roughly an hour before Mr. Kimmel’s show was set to air. Mr. Trump suggested that he might sue ABC over its reinstatement of Mr. Kimmel — ‘I think we’re going to test ABC out on this,’ he wrote — and cited a $16 million payment that the network made last year to settle a previous defamation lawsuit that he filed against ABC News.
Much of the president’s online harangue was stale and tiresome: Trump called ABC “fake news”; he questioned Kimmel’s ratings; and he criticized the host’s talent.
He also, however, said the comedian “puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat [sic] GARBAGE.” Trump didn’t elaborate, but given the broader context and his related recent rhetoric, this appeared to be a reference to the president’s eagerness to target networks’ broadcast licenses over speech he considers “illegal.”
But it was the next part of the Republican’s missive that was of particular interest: [Kimmel] is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution. I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. 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! In case this wasn’t obvious, in March 2024, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos used the term “rape” when describing the verdict in E. Jean Carroll’s civil lawsuit against Trump. The Republican filed a defamation lawsuit after Election Day, and the network later agreed to contribute $15 million to Trump’s future presidential library and $1 million in legal fees to Trump’s lawyers. It was a controversial decision — many legal experts said the Republican was unlikely to prevail — which the president routinely points to as proof of the media being out to get him. What’s more, the unfortunate settlement has had the predictable effect of emboldening Trump, leading to additional lawsuits against other major media organizations. Now, evidently, the president is inclined to take yet another bite at the apple, claiming that Kimmel’s comedy might be “illegal” (it’s not) and the basis for a “test” legal case. Watch this space.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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