Donald Trump is thrilled that one of his most vocal critics has been pulled off the air.
The 47th president and former Apprentice star celebrated ABC’s decision to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live on Wednesday.
“Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “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.”
Trump went on to note that following CBS’ discontinuation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in July, only two late-night hosts remain: The Tonight Show‘s Jimmy Fallon and Late Night‘s Seth Meyers.
“That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC,” Trump wrote. “Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!”
Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty; Lloyd Bishop/NBC via Getty
Representatives for Kimmel did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s request for comment.
Meyers did not address the controversy in his Late Night monologue Wednesday night.
Trump previously claimed that Kimmel’s show was on the chopping block after The Late Show was cancelled in July.
“The word is, and it’s a strong word at that, Jimmy Kimmel is NEXT to go in the untalented Late Night Sweepstakes and, shortly thereafter, Fallon will be gone,” he wrote on Truth Social on July 22.
A spokesperson for ABC told EW on Wednesday that the network would preempt Kimmel’s show indefinitely.
That news came shortly after ABC affiliates, including Nexstar, announced that they would not broadcast Jimmy Kimmel Live, citing their objections to the host’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer on Monday night’s show. FCC chair Brendan Carr explicitly encouraged broadcasters to preempt Kimmel’s show during a podcast interview earlier that day.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump told ABC News journalist Jonathan Karl that he will “probably go after” him and ABC over alleged “hate” against his administration.
ABC’s decision to pull Kimmel’s show from the air has drawn criticism from politicians, broadcasters, and entertainers alike.
Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty
California Governor Gavin Newsom blasted the Republican Party for intervening in broadcasting decisions.
“Buying and controlling media platforms. Firing commentators. Canceling shows,” he wrote on X. “These aren’t coincidences. It’s coordinated. And it’s dangerous. The @GOP does not believe in free speech. They are censoring you in real time.”
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MSNBC host Chris Hayes called the decision “the most straightforward attack on free speech from state actors I’ve ever seen in my life and it’s not even close.” In a follow-up post, he wrote, “The countries where comedians can’t mock the leader on late-night TV are not really ones you want to live in.”
Actor and Severance executive producer Ben Stiller reacted to the news in his own post, writing, “This isn’t right.”
