On the eve of Christmas, President Donald Trump has unleashed a fresh blast of vitriol at late-night comedy talk shows, saying comedian Stephen Colbert is a “pathetic train wreck” who should be “put to sleep.”
Colbert’s “The Late Show” is scheduled to end in May 2026, a decision his fans say smacks of censorship.
In a late night Truth Social post, Trump wrote that Colbert “has actually gotten worse” since being “terminated by CBS, but left out to dry.”
“Stephen is running on hatred and fumes ~ A dead man walking! CBS should, ‘put him to sleep,’ NOW,” Trump wrote.
Colbert has hosted the “The Late Show” since 2015 and it has been the highest-rated late night talk show on U.S. television. His opening monologues often take aim at the Republican president.
There was no immediate public response from Colbert or CBS to Trump’s post.
CBS announced the sunsetting of Colbert’s show after one more season in July, the same month its parent company reached a $16 million settlement with Trump. CBS called the cancellation “a purely financial decision.”
Trump had sued Paramount, alleging that CBS News’ “60 Minutes” program deceptively edited an interview with his 2024 election rival, Kamala Harris, in her favor.
In another overnight post, Trump repeated threats to yank the broadcast licenses of networks whose content he deemed overly critical.
“If Network NEWSCASTS, and their Late Night Shows, are almost 100% Negative to President Donald J. Trump, MAGA, and the Republican Party, shouldn’t their very valuable Broadcast Licenses be terminated? I say, YES!”
On Sunday, CBS’s new editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, pulled a “60 Minutes” segment on alleged torture at El Salvador’s CECOT prison — where Trump sent hundreds of deported Venezuelans — saying it needed more reporting.
In August, Disney-owned ABC briefly suspended its late-night star, Jimmy Kimmel, before bringing him back on a one-year contract.
Kimmel had annoyed conservatives with comments in the wake of the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
Trump appears to be aiming to reshape the U.S. media landscape, which he says is biased against conservatives.
His appointee to head the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, turned heads when he told a Congressional hearing that “the FCC is not formally an independent agency,” implying that his actions could justifiably be aligned with the political priorities of the White House. (JapanToday)
Jimmy Kimmel slammed Donald Trump during his Monday night broadcast of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for saying Rob Reiner died “due to the anger he caused others” through his “Trump derangement syndrome.”
“What we need at a time like this, besides common sense when it comes to guns and mental health care, is compassion and leadership. We did not get that from our president, because he has none of it to give. Instead, we got a fool rambling about nonsense,” Kimmel said. “For Rob and Michele Reiner, we got this post.”
Kimmel then recited Trump’s Monday morning Truth Social post, which read, “A very sad thing happened last night in Hollywood. Rob Reiner, a tortured and struggling, but once very talented movie director and comedy star, has passed away, together with his wife, Michele, reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME, sometimes referred to as TDS.”
The president continued, “He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump, with his obvious paranoia reaching new heights as the Trump Administration surpassed all goals and expectations of greatness, and with the Golden Age of America upon us, perhaps like never before. May Rob and Michele rest in peace!”
“It’s so hateful and vile,” Kimmel said of the post. “When I first saw it, I thought it was fake. My wife showed it to me this morning. I was like, ‘Even for him, that seemed like too much.’ But nothing is ever too much for him.”
Kimmel then turned his attention to an Oval Office press conference, where Trump was given “the chance to take another shot to act like a human being” and take back his post on Reiner. Trump instead doubled down.
“I wasn’t a fan of his at all,” Trump told reporters Monday. “He was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned. He knew it was false. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. He said I was a friend of Russia, controlled by Russia. You know, the Russia hoax. He was one of the people behind it. I think he hurt himself career-wise. He became like a deranged person. Trump derangement syndrome. So, I was not a fan of Rob Reiner at all, in any way, shape or form. I thought he was very bad for our country.”
“That corroded brain is in charge of our lives,” Kimmel said. “If you voted for that, it’s OK to reconsider. It’s perfectly fine. I have to say, I know from my personal interactions with Rob Reiner that he would want us to keep pointing out the loathsome atrocities that continue to ooze out of this sick and irresponsible man’s mouth. So we’re going to do that over and over again until the rest of us wake up.”
Kimmel wasn’t the only late-night host to discuss Reiner. Colbert opened his Monday night broadcast with a preface in light of Reiner’s death, as well as the shootings at Bondi Beach and Brown University.
“Hello, everybody,” a somber Colbert said at his desk. “Normally, we start the show with a short cold open about a major news story of the day. But after the terrible news this past weekend, the horrifying Hanukkah massacre at Bondi Beach, the tragic shootings at Brown University and the heartbreaking deaths of Rob and Michele Reiner, all of the major stories are too dark for that. Other people’s tragedy is sacred ground, and we try very hard not to walk there. But we are going to do a comedy show tonight, in light of and in spite of the darkness.”
Reiner, a prolific filmmaker who broke into Hollywood starring in “All in the Family” before directing films like “Stand by Me,” “When Harry Met Sally…,” “This Is Spinal Tap” and “A Few Good Men,” was found stabbed to death Sunday afternoon in his Brentwood home alongside his wife of 36 years, Michele Singer. Reiner was 78, and Singer was 70. (Variety)
Jimmy Kimmel returned to late-night television Tuesday after a nearly weeklong suspension and nearly broke down in tears, saying he wasn’t trying to joke about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“I have no illusions about changing anyone’s mind, but I do want to make something clear, because it’s important to me as a human and that is, you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” Kimmel said, his voice breaking. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.”
Kimmel added: “Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what … was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make.” He said he understood his remarks last week to some “felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both.”
Kimmel criticized the ABC affiliates who took his show off the air. “That’s not legal. That’s not American. It’s un-American.” Two stations groups that represent about a quarter of ABC affiliates, Sinclair and Nexstar, had said they would not show Kimmel’s program on Tuesday.
He thanked the people who supported him, and even people who don’t like him who stood up for his right to speak, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. “It takes courage for them to speak out against this administration,” he said. “They did and they deserve credit for it.”
Kimmel nearly broke down again in praising Kirk’s widow, who publicly forgave her husband’s killer. If nothing else comes from the past few weeks, he said “I hope it can be that.”
ABC, which suspended Kimmel’s show last Wednesday following criticism of his comments about the Kirk’s assassination, announced Monday that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would return after the network had “thoughtful conversations” with the host.
Kimmel admitted that he was mad when ABC suspended him, but praised his bosses for putting him back on the air. “Unjustly, this puts them at risk.”
He mocked Trump for criticizing him for bad ratings. “He tried his best to cancel me and instead he forced millions of people to watch this show,” Kimmel said.
The decisions by Sinclair and Nexstar left ABC stations in Washington, D.C.;, St. Louis;, Nashville, Tennessee; and Richmond, Virginia among the cities airing something else. WJLA-TV, the Sinclair-owned station in Washington, instead aired a newscast and an episode of the chain’s show, “The National Desk.”
Kimmel, who has been publicly silent since his suspension, posted Tuesday on his Instagram account a picture of himself with the late television producer and free speech advocate Norman Lear. “Missing this guy today,” he wrote.
ABC suspended Kimmel “indefinitely” after comments he made in a monologue last week. Kimmel, who has been a relentless Trump critic in his comedy, suggested that many Trump supporters were trying to capitalize on Kirk’s death and were “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
Kimmel, who has been a relentless Trump critic in his comedy, suggested that many Trump supporters were trying to capitalize on Kirk’s death and were “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
Trump-appointed Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr last week said it appeared that Kimmel was trying to “directly mislead the American public” with his remarks about Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old Utah man charged with Kirk’s killing, and his motives. Those motives remain unclear. Authorities say Robinson grew up in a conservative family, but his mother told investigators his son had turned left politically in the last year.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said before ABC announced the suspension. “These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Those remarks set a backlash in motion, with Republican Sen. Ted Cruz saying that Carr acted like “a mafioso.” Hundreds of entertainment luminaries, including Tom Hanks, Barbra Streisand and Jennifer Aniston, signed a letter circulated by the American Civil Liberties Union that called ABC’s move “a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation.”
Podcaster Joe Rogan weighed in Tuesday on Kimmel’s side. “I definitely don’t think that the government should be involved — ever — in dictating what a comedian can or can’t say in a monologue,” Rogan said. “You are crazy for supporting this because this will be used on you.”
Some consumers punished ABC parent Disney by canceling subscriptions to its streaming services.
Trump had hailed Kimmel’s suspension and criticized his return, writing on his Truth Social platform: “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back … Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE.”
Actor Robert De Niro appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Tuesday, impersonating Carr being interviewed by Kimmel. De Niro, as Carr, said the FCC had a new motto, “sticks and stones can break your bones.”
Isn’t there more to the saying, Kimmel asked, that words can never hurt you?
“They can hurt you now,” De Niro responded, saying you have to make sure to say the right ones.
Kimmel took the stage to a long standing ovation and chants of “Jimmy, Jimmy.” One audience member, Walter Bates, said after the taping that Kimmel’s discussion of Kirk’s wife “was a very moving moment. I got very emotional and so did my wife.”
Trump’s administration has used threats, lawsuits and federal government pressure to try to exert more control over the media industry. Trump sued ABC and CBS over news coverage, which the companies settled. Trump has also filed defamation lawsuits against The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, and successfully urged Congress to strip federal funding from NPR and PBS.
After pulling out of her planned performance at the premiere of Hulu’s Lilith Fair documentary in protest over Kimmel’s suspension, singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan appeared on Kimmel’s show as the musical guest. McLachlan had been booked on the show prior to the preemption, a representative told The Associated Press.
The other guest was actor Glen Powell.
The suspension happened at a time when the late-night landscape is shifting. Shows are losing viewers, in part because many watch highlights the next day online. CBS announced the cancellation of Colbert’s show over the summer. Kimmel’s contract with ABC reportedly lasts through May.
CBS’ “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert, in his own opening monologue Monday, grabbed his recently won Emmy Award for outstanding talk series, saying, “Once more, I am the only martyr on late night!” (JapanToday)
Hollywood blasted the White House for targeting free speech after ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s talk on Wednesday under regulatory threats from Donald Trump’s administration, rallying behind the late-night comic after his comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The Walt Disney-owned broadcaster said it was yanking “Jimmy Kimmel Live” indefinitely after at least one affiliate said it would replace the show on its airwaves and the nation’s top communications regulator threatened investigations due to Kimmel’s statements.
The late-night host, a frequent Trump critic, had suggested in his monologue on Monday that Kirk’s allies were using his death to “score political points”.
Unions representing writers and actors said the move amounted to an attack on constitutionally protected free-speech rights, saying ABC should not have caved in the face of U.S. government pressure.
The suspension of Kimmel’s show marked the latest action against media figures, academic workers, teachers and corporate employees over their remarks about Kirk following the 31-year-old’s assassination a week ago in Utah.
“What we have signed on to – painful as it may be at times – is the freeing agreement to disagree,” the Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East said in a joint statement. “Shame on those in government who forget this founding truth. As for our employers, our words have made you rich. Silencing us impoverishes the whole world.”
A 22-year-old suspect has been charged with Kirk’s murder, and his precise motive remains unclear. Kirk’s death spurred an outpouring of grief among fans while also galvanizing some prominent right-wing supporters to target people who were critical of Kirk’s views or joked about his killing.
SAG-AFTRA, the union representing actors, condemned the scrapping of the show, saying “the decision to suspend airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! is the type of suppression and retaliation that endangers everyone’s freedoms,” while actor Ben Stiller wrote “this isn’t right” on social media site X.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to pull licenses from television stations and has pressured broadcasters to stop airing content he finds objectionable. He has also trained his ire on print media with the filing of a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times.
Earlier on Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr had urged local broadcasters to stop airing the show. Kimmel, who has frequently targeted Trump on his late-night comedy show, did not respond to a request for comment.
ABC pulled the show after Nexstar Media Group, which owns 32 ABC affiliates, said it would stop airing the show following Kimmel’s September 10 comments, when he suggested that “the MAGA gang” was “doing everything they can to score political points” off of Kirk’s assassination. He also criticized Trump’s mourning, comparing it to “how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”
Carr, in Wednesday remarks to conservative podcaster Benny Johnson, said “we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” suggesting the regulator could open investigations and broadcasters could face fines. He praised Nexstar, saying that “it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community values.”
The American Federation of Musicians said that “Trump’s FCC identified speech it did not like and threatened ABC with extreme reprisals. This is state censorship.” (JapanToday)
Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night television show has been taken off air “indefinitely” after the host was criticised for comments about the motives behind the killing of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, ABC said.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live will be preempted indefinitely,” an ABC spokesperson told AFP, using a television industry term for when a show is replaced or removed from the schedule.
Kirk, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, was shot dead last week during a speaking event on a Utah university campus.
Authorities said 22-year-old Tyler Robinson used a rifle to shoot Kirk with a single bullet to the neck from a rooftop. He was arrested and has been formally charged with his murder.
On Monday, Kimmel spoke about the shooting in his popular late-night show’s monologue.
“We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it,” said Kimmel.
“MAGA” refers to the president’s “Make America Great Again” movement.
The White House this week said it would be pursuing an alleged left-wing “domestic terror movement” in the wake of Kirk’s killing, prompting alarm that such a campaign could be used to silence political dissent. (France24)
English