During his recent show, Jimmy Kimmel tackled Donald Trump’s criticism of his return to the airwaves and the potential for a legal battle with ABC.
In his second episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! following a brief suspension, Kimmel directed several jabs at the former president. The suspension came in response to remarks Kimmel made regarding Charlie Kirk and the reaction to the conservative commentator’s assassination.
The decision to suspend Kimmel’s show was met with mixed reactions; some applauded Disney and ABC, while others saw it as an infringement on free speech.
Trump did not hide his satisfaction over Kimmel’s suspension, expressing his views on Truth Social.
Yet, when Kimmel made his comeback on September 23, merely days later, Trump once again voiced his opinions.
Trump posted: “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.
“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.”
On September 24, Kimmel addressed these comments, continuing to mock Trump.
The comedian remarked: “There are still a lot of people who think I should be pulled off the air for making fun of Donald Trump.
“So, I want to explain. I talk about Trump more than anything because he’s a bully. I don’t like bullies.”
Kimmel also pointed out sections of Trump’s angry post regarding the show’s return and the insinuation of legal action.
Trump’s mention of the $16 million seemed to refer to a past settlement with ABC over a defamation lawsuit he filed against the network.
Kimmel commented: “Only Donald Trump would try to prove he wasn’t threatening ABC by threatening ABC.”
He expressed empathy for Trump’s staff trying to manage the aftermath of his statements: “You almost have to feel sorry for the people who work for him who try to clean up the messes… They go to all these lengths to say, ‘Oh, it wasn’t coercion. The president was just musing.’
“And then, the second Trump is alone, he sits on the toilet. He gets his grubby little thumbs on his phone. And he immediately blows their excuses to smithereens.”
Kimmel also rebuffed Trump’s frequent claims about his declining ratings, illustrating that Trump himself was not faring well in popularity.
Displaying a graphic of the president’s unfavorable ratings, Kimmel noted: “He does know bad ratings, he has some of the worst ratings any president has ever had.”