On Thursday’s episode of “Late Night,” Seth Meyers sarcastically pretended to seek approval from Donald Trump in response to the news that ABC pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live” off the air.
“His administration is pursuing a crackdown on free speech — and completely unrelated, I just want to say, before we get started here, that I’ve always admired and respected Mr. Trump,” he said as the audience laughed loudly. “I’ve always believed he was a visionary, innovator, a great president, an even better golfer. And if you’ve ever seen me say anything negative about him, that’s just AI.”
Meyers jokes were a reference to the fact that ABC made its decision about Kimmel after FCC chairman and Trump appointee Brendan Carr threatened legal action over Kimmel’s recent comments about Charlie Kirk. Following Carr’s words, “Jimmy Kimmel Live” was pulled from all ABC affiliate stations owned by Nexstar and Sinclair. Production was halted on the series indefinitely soon after. Kimmel’s suspension has been seen by many, including former president Barack Obama, as an attack on free speech and a sign of the Trump administration intimidating media companies to “fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.”
On a more serious note, Meyers added, “It is a privilege and an honor to call Jimmy Kimmel my friend in the same way that it’s a privilege and honor to do this show every night. I wake up every day, I count my blessings that I live in a country that at least purports to value freedom of speech, and we’re gonna keep doing our show the way we’ve always done it: with enthusiasm and and integrity.”
If Trump has it his way, Meyers and his fellow NBC late night host Jimmy Fallon will be next on the chopping block. The president wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday, “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. 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. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT.”
Kimmel came under fire after his Monday night broadcast, during which he said the “MAGA mob” was “trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.” The commentary drew a response from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who said during an appearance on Benny Johnson’s podcast Wednesday, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
In the aftermath of Kimmel’s pre-empting, Carr wrote on X, “I want to thank Nexstar for doing the right thing. Local broadcasters have an obligation to serve the public interest. While this may be an unprecedented decision, it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community values. I hope that other broadcasters follow Nexstar’s lead.”
