Jimmy Kimmel had choice words for President Donald Trump on his second show back on the air on Wednesday, September 24.
During his opening monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the comedian, 57, addressed Trump’s Truth Social post the day earlier, in which the president chastised ABC for lifting Kimmel’s recent suspension. Trump further alluded to going “after” ABC over its decision, citing his previous victory over the network in a $15 million defamation lawsuit settlement with ABC News last year.
“I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled! Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his ‘talent’ was never there,” Trump, 79, posted Tuesday night just an hour before Kimmel’s show returned on ABC.
He continued, “Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE. He is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution. I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative. A true bunch of losers! Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad Ratings.”
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During Wednesday’s show, Kimmel joked that he “did hear from one very special friend moments after we taped our show” on Tuesday. Reading out Trump’s post to the studio audience, he quipped, “You can’t believe they gave me my job back? I can’t believe we gave you your job back.”
Kimmel went on to deny Trump’s claim that ABC told the White House his talk show was being canceled, before calling out Trump over his apparent threat against the network.
“‘Who puts the network in jeopardy.’ You hear that? There’s the threat again. This time straight from FCC-biscuit’s mouth,” the comedian said. “Only Donald Trump would try to prove he wasn’t threatening ABC by threatening ABC.”
As for Trump’s shots at his show’s ratings, Kimmel brought up some statistics of his own. The talk show host presented some of Trump’s presidential approval ratings and declared, “He does know bad ratings. He has some of the worst ratings any president has ever had. On behalf of all of us, welcome to the crappy ratings club, Mr. President.”
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Kimmel remained defiant in his monologue as he addressed Trump, sharing a message with “those who think I go too hard” on the president.
“I want to explain: I talk about Trump more than anything because he’s a bully. I don’t like bullies,” he said. “Donald Trump is an old-fashioned ‘80s movie-style bully taking your lunch money. And if you give it to him once, he’ll take it again. Two things he loves: lunch and money.”
ABC preempted Kimmel’s show indefinitely on September 17 after the comedian made remarks about the suspect in the killing of conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk. Kimmel’s comments sparked ire from Trump administration member Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), who called for Kimmel’s punishment and alluded to FCC action against ABC and the owners of ABC-affiliated television stations. Later that day, media companies Nexstar and Sinclair, which own and operate dozens of ABC-affiliated stations in the U.S., announced they would not air Kimmel’s show in their markets. ABC decided to suspend the program nationwide, though it reversed its decision on Monday, September 22, and Kimmel returned to the network on Tuesday.
Kimmel’s first show back was watched by an estimated 6.26 million viewers Tuesday night, despite not airing in 23 percent of the country, ABC said in a Wednesday press release.
