US President Donald Trump on Thursday suggested that television networks that cover him “negatively” could face government punishment, even hinting that their broadcast licenses should “maybe” be taken away. His comments came after he publicly celebrated ABC’s suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.Speaking aboard Air Force One during his return from a state visit to the United Kingdom, Trump told reporters that major US networks were “97% against me,” though he did not provide evidence to support the claim.“Again, 97% negative, and yet I won easily. I won all seven swing states,” Trump said. “They give me only bad press. I mean they’re getting a license. I would think maybe their licenses should be taken away.”The president also backed ABC’s decision to suspend Kimmel, calling him “not a talented person” who had “very bad ratings.” “Well, Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else, and he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk,” Trump said, referring to the conservative leader who was assassinated last week at Utah Valley University. “They should have fired him a long time ago.”According to Nielsen ratings cited by LateNighter, Stephen Colbert’s Late Show led the late-night slot in total viewers with 2.42 million. Kimmel’s show averaged 1.77 million viewers in the second quarter of 2025 and slightly outperformed Colbert in the 18–49 demographic. However, viewership for Kimmel’s show declined by 11% over the past month. Despite the drop, Kimmel maintains over 20 million YouTube subscribers, as reported by the Guardian. The suspension triggered a sharp backlash. Around 200 protesters gathered outside Walt Disney Studios in Los Angeles on Thursday, many from the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and other Hollywood unions that represented acotrs and musicians, according to Hollywood Reporter. The WGA issued a statement condemning the suspension as “corporate cowardice” and warning against the abuse of government power. “The right to speak our minds and to disagree with each other – to disturb, even – is at the very heart of what it means to be a free people. It is not to be denied,” the union said.Former President Barack Obama also weighed in, criticizing Trump’s remarks as a “dangerous escalation.” In a post on X, Obama wrote, “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.”
What erupted the controversy?
The controversy began after Kimmel suggested on his show that “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.” Within 24 hours, FCC chair Brendan Carr condemned the comments as “truly sick” and hinted that ABC could face regulatory consequences. Nexstar, one of ABC’s major affiliate operators, labeled the remarks “offensive and insensitive,” prompting the network to suspend Kimmel indefinitely.The New York Times later reported that ABC executives were searching for a way to bring Kimmel back, while Disney CEO Bob Iger faced growing criticism over his role in the suspension. New York magazine questioned whether the move could “tarnish his legacy in Hollywood.”Carr raised further concerns about censorship when he suggested on podcast The Bulwark that the FCC might review other ABC programs such as The View to determine whether they still qualified as “bona fide news programs” and thus exempt from equal-opportunity broadcast rules.House Democratic leaders, including Hakeem Jeffries, demanded Carr’s resignation, accusing him of pressuring ABC through regulatory threats. “Brendan Carr has engaged in the corrupt abuse of power,” Jeffries and five other lawmakers said in a joint statement. Democrats are also drafting legislation to protect political speech from censorship, including specific protections for individuals targeted for political reasons.The dispute builds on years of animosity between President Trump and Kimmel. During the 2024 Academy Awards, Trump mocked Kimmel as the “WORST HOST,” prompting Kimmel to read the comment aloud during the ceremony and joke: “Isn’t it past your jail time?” Kimmel also clashed with Trump during his first term, especially over healthcare policy, when he revealed that his infant son’s life-saving heart surgery was made possible by the Affordable Care Act.Kimmel is the second major late-night host to lose his platform in recent months. CBS cancelled Stephen Colbert’s show in July after repeated criticism of Trump. Meanwhile, Senator JD Vance joked online that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would take over Kimmel’s late-night slot, a jab at Rubio’s multiple roles in the Trump administration.
