{"id":2831,"date":"2026-08-18T21:52:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T21:52:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=2831"},"modified":"2026-08-18T21:52:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T21:52:31","slug":"donald-trump-and-jimmy-kimmels-feud-a-timeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=2831","title":{"rendered":"Donald Trump and Jimmy Kimmel’s Feud: A Timeline"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tDonald Trump<\/a> has many enemies. The ayatollahs of Iran, Democratic politicians across America, windmills, and the phrase \u201cIs Pepsi OK?\u201d \u2014 to name a few. But no feud seems to brew more consistent passion within the commander in chief than his vendetta against late-night comedy, particularly against ABC\u2019s Jimmy Kimmel<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s easy to forget that before he was a plague on our politics, Trump was a caricature for \u201cAmerican rich guy.\u201d Three wives, lots of money, a golden toilet, and loads of opinions. He was a regular guest on talk shows, radio, and even late-night television.<\/p>\n

\n\tOne of the major early personal sacrifices of Trump\u2019s decision to enter the Republican primaries as a right-wing nativist in 2015 was a break with the mostly supportive, ostensibly liberal social and media circles that had surrounded him during his time as the proverbial king of Manhattan. Late-night shows began to mock him, parody his voice and image, and criticize his campaign \u2014\u00a0and later his presidency. Kimmel has consistently been among Trump\u2019s most vocal roasters, and throughout Trump\u2019s second administration, the president\u2019s censorious tendencies dovetailed with his fixation on late-night comedians.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s a long feud, dating back more than a decade at this point, but here\u2019s a breakdown of the dispute between Trump and ABC\u2019s flagship comedian.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\tABC sues the Trump administration for ordering review of its licenses as the president raged over Kimmel\u2019s jokes\t<\/h2>\n

\n\tThree months after FCC<\/a> Commissioner Brendan Carr<\/a> ordered a review of ABC\u2019s licenses after Kimmel staged a mock White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner, the network sued the administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cActing through the Federal Communications Commission, the Administration has waged a retaliatory campaign against ABC for a single reason: it disapproves of what ABC broadcasts,\u201d the network argued in the lawsuit. The lawsuit highlighted several of Trump\u2019s social media posts threatening the network\u2019s licenses, spanning years, as well as Trump claiming in 2025 that the network\u2019s late-night shows are \u201cnot allowed\u201d to \u201chit Trump\u201d as much as they do.<\/p>\n

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\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

\n\t\tThe Trump administration cracks down on Disney after Kimmel makes joke about the president\u2019s age ahead of White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n

\n\tIn the aftermath of a shooting at the 2026 White House Correspondents\u2019 Dinner, the Trump administration became fixated on a monologue Kimmel delivered days before. Given that a professional comedian had not been invited to deliver the traditional roast of the president at the event, Kimmel\u2019s show staged their own<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAt one point, Kimmel joked that First Lady Melania Trump had a \u201cglow like an expectant widow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tKimmel had no way of knowing what would take place at the Correspondents\u2019 Dinner, but in its aftermath the first lady claimed that the joke had been a call to violence<\/a> against the president and not \u2014 as most assumed \u2014 a comment on his advanced age and declining health.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel\u2019s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale,\u201d the president wrote on Truth Social. \u201cJimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tKimmel responded on his show Monday, telling viewers that it was \u201cobviously a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they\u2019re together. It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he\u2019s almost 80 and she\u2019s younger than I am.\u201d Kimmel noted that there had been no outrage about his televised roast, which aired Thursday night, two days before the dinner.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

\n\tThe Trump administration was undeterred. Brendan Carr\u2019s Federal Communications Commission announced it would be directing ABC to file renewals<\/a> for all their broadcast licenses within the month \u2014 a forceful investigative, potentially punitive message rarely invoked by the agency.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tA few days later, Trump again called<\/a> for Kimmel to be fired. \u201cWhen is ABC Fake News Network firing seriously unfunny Jimmy Kimmel, who incompetently presides over one of the Lowest Rated shows on Television?\u201d he wrote. \u201cPeople are angry. It better be soon!!!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\tKimmel tells Trump \u2018quiet, piggy\u2019 as the president keeps calling for ABC to fire him<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n

\n\t\u201cI have honestly lost count of how many times the president has demanded I be pulled off the air,\u201d Kimmel told his audience<\/a> in November. \u201cTalk about a snowflake, this guy. Every five weeks, he flips out and wants me fired.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe comments came in response to Trump\u2019s late-night rantings about Jimmy Kimmel Live<\/a>!\u2019s <\/em>coverage of the Epstein files scandal. \u201cWhy does ABC Fake News keep Jimmy Kimmel, a man with NO TALENT and VERY POOR TELEVISION RATINGS, on the air?\u201d Trump raged<\/a>. \u201cGet the bum off the air.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tKimmel took it in stride. \u201cHow about this: I\u2019ll go when you go, OK? We\u2019ll be a team. Let\u2019s ride off into the sunset together like Butch Cassidy and the Suntan Kid \u2026 Until then, if I may borrow a phrase from you: Quiet, piggy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTrump keeps attacking Kimmel, though, calling him a \u201chorrible\u201d<\/a> host a month later. \u201cThat is very hurtful. I thought we were friends,\u201d Kimmel responded. \u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on. He is really fixated. I\u2019m starting to think he might have a crush on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\tTrump\u2019s FCC gets ABC to kick Kimmel off the air following Charlie Kirk\u2019s assassination<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n

\n\tIn the aftermath of the assassination for Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, right-wingers rushed to punish critics of the slain activist \u2014 forcing hundreds of people<\/a> out of their jobs over even mild critiques of Kirk.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tOn Sept. 17, ABC and Nexstar announced that \u201cJimmy Kimmel Live!<\/em> will be preempted indefinitely.\u201d Nexstar claimed that the suspension had been prompted by allegedly \u201coffensive and insensitive\u201d comments Kimmel made about Kirk. The decision came after public pressure<\/a> from Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, who threatened<\/a> the network\u2019s broadcast licenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBut Kimmel had not criticized Kirk at all. He had explicitly condemned the killing<\/a> and criticized MAGA voices for rushing to capitalize on the tragedy and \u201cdesperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.\u201d Kimmel, like much of the nation, had misidentified the politics of the shooter in his initial response.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe was kept off air for a week, with Trump saying<\/a> the indefinite suspension was \u201cGreat News for America\u201d and congratulating the network \u201cfor finally having the courage to do what had to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter widespread public outrage forced the network<\/a> to reinstate Kimmel, the president threatened to sue ABC in retaliation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI think maliciously, mischaracterized,\u201d Kimmel would later say<\/a> of the controversial monologue that prompted the dispute. \u201cI just saw it as distortion on the part of some of the right-wing media networks and I aimed to correct it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\tTrump warns Kimmel that he\u2019s \u201cnext\u201d amid Stephen Colbert cancellation\u00a0<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n

\n\tIn the summer of 2025, CBS announced that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert <\/em>would not be renewed<\/a>, despite the host having signed a contract extension through 2026. The cancellation came amid a major merger between Sydance Media and Paramount Global \u2014 the parent company of CBS owned by pro-Trump billionaire Larry Ellison.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAs Trump celebrated the cancellation, he wrote on Truth Social<\/a> that he loved that \u201cColbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\tTrump confuses Al Pacino for Kimmel<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n

\n\tKimmel keeps making fun of Trump on his late-night show, and Trump keeps responding. A month after the Oscars, Trump joked about the Stormy Daniels scandal, to which Trump posted another rant on Truth Social, blaming Kimmel<\/a> for Al Pacino\u2019s unorthodox announcement that Oppenheimer<\/em> won Best Picture.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cStupid Jimmy Kimmel, who still hasn\u2019t recovered from his horrendous performance and big ratings drop as Host of The Academy Awards, especially when he showed he suffered from TDS, commonly known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, to the entire world by reading on air my TRUTH about how bad a job he was doing that night, right before he stumbled through announcing the biggest award of all, \u2018Picture of the Year,\u2019\u201d Trump wrote. \u201cIt was a CLASSIC CHOKE, one of the biggest ever in show business, and to top it off, he forgot to say the famous and mandatory line, \u2018AND THE WINNER IS.\u2019 Instead he stammered around as he opened the envelope.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\tTrump attacks Kimmel during the Oscars in 2024<\/strong>\t<\/h2>\n

\n\tTrump ranted against Kimmel as the late-night host was emceeing the 2024 Oscars. \u201cHas there EVER been a WORSE HOST than Jimmy Kimmel at The Oscars,\u201d he wrote<\/a>. \u201cHis opening was that of a less than average person trying too hard to be something which he is not, and never can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAlso a really bad politically correct show tonight, and for years \u2014 Disjointed, boring, and very unfair,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\n\tBecause Trump attacked him during the ceremony, Kimmel was able to respond in real time, in front of an audience of millions. Kimmel pulled out his phone and read Trump\u2019s post to the audience, to laughter and applause. \u201cSee if you can guess which former president just posted that on Truth Social?\u201d he said, adding, \u201cIsn\u2019t it past your jail time?\u201d<\/p>\n

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