It was a celebratory night on Tuesday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Host Jimmy Kimmel returned from his summer break and marked a major milestone in the late-night TV show's history. And of course, the festivities also came with a jab aimed at President Donald Trump's White House.
Tuesday's show marked the 4,000 episode in Jimmy Kimmel Live! history. The show, and Kimmel for that matter, has come a long way since it launced on ABC in 2003. Once it found its footing, Jimmy Kimmel Live! became a ratings hit and propelled Kimmel into an influential cultural figure.
However, there are some people who wished Kimmel would never reach this level of longevity. Chief among the late-night host's haters is President Donald Trump, something that was not lost on Kimmel during his return on Tuesday night.
“We’ve done 4,000 of these ... it’s a lot of shows,” Kimmel said during his opening monologue. “According to the White House, it’s too many shows.” The joke made a clear reference to the countless times President Trump has called for Kimmel to be fired or for ABC to cancel the late-night show.
Kimmel then turned his attention toward the Federal Communications Commission, which has become increasingly involved in the political fight surrounding ABC and its programming. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has been a frequent target of criticism from Kimmel amid the commission's scrutiny of Disney-owned ABC stations.
“There are those who said we would never last this long,” Kimmel continued. “There are even those who used the regulatory might of the FCC to unconstitutionally try to make sure we didn’t last this long. But we did it the hard way, Brendan. And we are still here.”
Carr has repeatedly denied that the FCC is punishing ABC and Disney for Kimmel's commentary. But the FCC head played a role in Kimmel's September 2025 suspension stemming from a controversial monologue about Charlie Kirk.
Politicians and media industry insiders have also called out the FCC, arguing that Kimmel's criticism of the White House is behind the commission's unprecedented review of ABC's broadcasting licenses.
Tuesday night gave Kimmel his first chance in a while to directly address the FCC and Brendan Carr. Disney has been busy with the fight all summer, suggesting the company supports Kimmel in a way that Stephen Colbert did not receive from Paramount.
Perhaps the White House felt a little excitement yesterday when a story broke suggesting that ABC will not renew Kimmel's contract after next year. But the network denied any such decision, meaning Kimmel will only add to his 4,000 episodes and counting.
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