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He’s doing it again: Donald Trump has launched another attack on Jimmy Kimmel, pressuring ABC to cancel the comedian’s late-night talk show.
“When will fake news ABC fire the unfunny Jimmy Kimmel, who incompetently presides over one of TV’s lowest-rated shows?” books. “People are angry. It better be soon!!!”
ABC has so far remained silent about the controversy surrounding it Jimmy Kimmel Live! this week.
While it’s unclear what prompted Trump’s latest attack, Kimmel continued to go after the president in his monologues in the wake of efforts by Trump and first lady Melania Trump on Monday to link the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday to a joke Kimmel had made the previous week.
On Wednesday’s show, Kimmel joked that he helped bring the president and first lady closer together. “Our first couple, Donald and Melania, have seemed closer than ever lately, and I like to think I played a role in that,” he said.
Kimmel then showed a video of the duo standing with King Charles and Queen Camilla, and Melania pulled her hand away from Trump’s. Then the president reached out and she took his hand again.
“Given the week I spent with the first couple, I would say it’s a completely normal way of interacting between two people who are very much in love,” Kimmel said. “Maybe that’s why his hands were bruised from Melania hitting them.”
The Federal Communications Commission announced Tuesday that it is reviewing ABC’s broadcast licenses. The FCC said Disney’s diversity policy may have violated anti-discrimination rules. But given FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s previous attack on ABC affiliates over a Kimmel joke last year, the timing certainly suggests the Trump administration was looking to punish the network over Kimmel.
Despite Trump’s claim that “people are mad” at Kimmel, a surprising number of right-wing names have emerged in support of Kimmel. Podcaster Ben Shapiro said firing Kimmel over his cute “pregnant widow” joke would be “like arresting Al Capone for tax evasion.” Meanwhile, Texas Senator Ted Cruz said the FCC went too far, telling Punchbowl News: “It is not the government’s job to censor speech, and I don’t think the FCC should act as the free speech police.”
The drama comes after Donald and Melania Trump first called for the show to be canceled on Monday. “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric aims to divide our country,” the first lady wrote. “His monologue about my family is not comedy. His words are corrosive and deepen the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel should not have the opportunity to enter our homes every evening to spread hate. Kimmel is a coward, hiding behind ABC because he knows the network will continue to cover to protect him. Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC leadership enable Kimmel’s outrageous behavior at the expense of our community.”
In a Jimmy Kimmel Live! In a skit last Thursday, Kimmel recited jokes he would tell if he were asked to host the WHCD conference. One was: “Look at Melania, she’s so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have the glow of a pregnant widow.” In another message, he said that if Trump’s ego was hurt, “it would make your hands look less disgusting.”
