President Donald Trump took time out of his state visit to the United Kingdom on Wednesday night to weigh in on ABC's decision to indefinitely suspend Jimmy Kimmel. The president praised the move in the wake of Kimmel's comments on Charlie Kirk's murder.
ABC shocked the industry on Wednesday when it announced it would pre-empt Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely. The network's decision came after Nexstar, owner of 28 ABC affiliates, said it would pull the show from its markets due to comments made by Kimmel during his September 16 monologue on the death of Charlie Kirk.
President Trump, fresh off dinner with King Charles, Prince William, and Kate Middleton, took to Truth Social to offer his opinion on the news.
“Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED," he wrote. "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."
ABC hasn't clarified Jimmy Kimmel Live!'s future. It's possible the show could return eventually, with Kimmel essentially serving a suspension for his Kirk commentary. Of course, Trump's comments about Kimmel's talent are a matter of opinion. The comedian is currently the longest-tenured late-night host with more than 20 years on ABC.
Kimmel's comments weren't exactly the most controversial reaction to Kirk's murder. “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang 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,” Kimmel said. That drew the attention of FCC Chair Brendan Chair, who suggested ABC and its affiliates could face consequences for Kimmel's commentary.
Trump wasn't done there, adding a suggestion for NBC regarding its late-night duo of Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers. "That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!"
Many critics believe Trump and his administration had a hand in getting CBS to pull the plug on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. A similar story seems to be playing out at ABC, leaving NBC as the only network left that hasn't taken action against its late-night hosts.
That seems only to put Fallon and Meyers on Trump's radar even more. Over the past few months, the president has called Fallon a "moron" and complained about NBC extending Meyers' contract.
Regardless of what NBC decides to do, it's an unprecedented time in late-night television. In a flash, staples like Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel are at risk of leaving the air for good.