Trump hails Kimmel cancellation as critics warn of censorship
Former President Donald Trump celebrated the decision to remove Jimmy Kimmel’s show from ABC affiliates, calling it “great news for America” on his Truth Social page and congratulating the network for “having the courage to do what had to be done.” He also urged the removal of fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, calling them “total losers” and pressuring NBC to act.
In Hollywood, where Kimmel tapes, audience members were reportedly turned away before Wednesday’s taping. The move sparked anger among some viewers: Tommy Williams, a 51-year-old longshoreman from Florida, told AFP the action felt “un-American,” saying it resembled censorship typically seen in authoritarian states.
The backlash comes in the wake of heightened tensions after the killing of Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative activist, on a Utah campus. Authorities have charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson with murder. On Monday’s show, Kimmel criticized efforts by some conservatives to distance the killer from far-right politics and mocked President Trump’s public reaction to Kirk’s death — a segment that drew both laughter and condemnation.
Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr escalated the dispute by publicly threatening the broadcast licenses of ABC affiliates that aired Kimmel. Speaking on a right-wing podcast, Carr urged affiliate stations to stop running the show or face possible “license revocation” and warned broadcasters they could make the change “the easy way or the hard way.”
Hours after Carr’s comments, Nexstar — a major owner of ABC affiliate stations and a company currently pursuing a large merger requiring FCC approval — announced it would stop airing Kimmel’s show on its stations. ABC, owned by Disney, then pulled the program nationwide. Kimmel and his representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Critics of the White House’s tactics said the pattern fits a broader effort to pressure cultural and media institutions. In recent months, the administration and its allies have targeted law firms, universities, and media organizations with lawsuits and public campaigns; some parent companies have settled costly claims, with payments reportedly earmarked for a future Trump presidential library.
Democrats and civil-liberties advocates warned that the moves amount to coordinated censorship. Senator Ben Ray Luján accused Trump and Carr of telling media outlets to “fall in line or be silenced.” California Governor Gavin Newsom called the actions “coordinated” and “dangerous,” writing that Americans were being “censored in real time.”
As the dispute plays out, the episode has sharpened partisan divides over free speech, press independence, and the limits of political pressure on media institutions — questions that are likely to remain at the center of public debate.
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