Jimmy Kimmel returned for his second show back from suspension and taunted his MAGA critics while blasting President Trump as an “’80s-movie-style bully” over his threats against Disney’s ABC network for supporting his return to the air.
Kimmel opened by telling viewers his show was still off the air in swaths of the country — “most of the country, not all of the country” — as major station groups Nexstar and Sinclair continued to preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in dozens of markets.
The host then posted a graphic on the screen showing Trump’s Truth Social post in which the president threatened to sue ABC over its decision to put Kimmel back on the air.
Kimmel read and ridiculed Trump’s latest social-media broadside before delivering the jab: “Only Donald Trump would try to prove he wasn’t threatening ABC by threatening ABC.”
The late-night host extended the bit with a ratings burn aimed at the White House.
Referencing Trump’s post calling for Kimmel to “rot in his bad ratings,” Kimmel shot back that the president “does know bad ratings” and concluded, “on behalf of all of us, welcome to the crappy ratings club, Mr. President.”
The taunts came a night after Kimmel’s high-profile return from a six-day suspension drew a monster audience by late-night standards.
ABC said the comeback show reached roughly 6.26 million broadcast viewers — the best regularly scheduled episode in a decade — and racked up tens of millions more views across YouTube and social platforms.
That surge arrived despite blackout orders from affiliates that kept the show off the air in about a quarter of US households.
During the monologue, Kimmel leaned into the censorship fight.
He told viewers that staffers were still fielding panicked texts about losing their jobs and mocked claims on conservative media that he wields “dirt on everyone in the industry.”
Kimmel then shifted back to Trump, casting him as a schoolyard tormentor.
He said that backing the president is like “rooting for Biff from ‘Back to the Future’.”
Kimmel also continued a running gag about an awkward moment at the United Nations, joking that Trump had inflated a minor “escalator” mishap into a federal case.
Kimmel’s reinstatement followed an uproar over remarks he made about the political affiliations of the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The backlash triggered threats and “jawboning” from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who suggested ABC affiliates could face license trouble if they continued to air the show.
“Jawboning” means using public statements, persuasion or pressure — rather than formal legal or regulatory action — to influence behavior.
Carr later tried to downplay his role while Vice President JD Vance insisted that the FCC chair was joking.
The affiliate revolt hardened this week. Nexstar said it will keep preempting Kimmel while it “monitors” the program’s content.
Sinclair has also stayed dark, with some of its stations previously demanding an apology and a donation to Kirk’s family and nonprofit before resuming carriage.
As a result, Kimmel is performing to a national audience that is some 23% smaller than usual.
The Post has sought comment from the White House and Disney.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
