Trump Threatens TV Networks Over Negative Coverage Amid Kimmel Suspension Controversy

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump on Thursday escalated his attacks on broadcasters, celebrating the suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and suggesting that television networks that give his administration negative coverage should have their licenses revoked.

The remarks added fuel to a growing national debate over free speech and government pressure on media outlets.

Kimmel’s show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC, was indefinitely pulled from the air on Wednesday following uproar from Trump allies over his Monday monologue about the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead while speaking at a Utah university on September 10.

Trump’s supporters have insisted that Americans properly mourn Kirk, warning of consequences for those who do not.

ABC’s suspension of the program — owned by Disney — sparked immediate backlash. Writers, performers, former President Barack Obama and civil liberties groups condemned the move as a capitulation to unconstitutional government coercion.

On Thursday, about 150 protesters gathered outside the Hollywood studio where Kimmel’s show is taped, waving signs that read “Don’t Bend a Knee to Trump”, “Resist Fascism” and “Cancel Disney+”. Passing motorists honked in support.

Comedians and networks also rallied behind Kimmel. On CBS, Stephen Colbert opened The Late Show with a parody song mocking Trump and declared, “Jimmy, I stand with you and your staff 100%”.

Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart skewered the administration with a satirical introduction as the “patriotically obedient host” of a “government-approved Daily Show” sarcastically hailing Trump as “our great father”.

During his state visit to the UK earlier this week, Trump personally attacked Kimmel, calling him “untalented” and condemning him for mocking Kirk’s death.

Kimmel had accused Trump and his allies of exploiting the killing for political gain, quipping, “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish”.

The controversy has intensified scrutiny of Trump’s use of presidential power against critics. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly threatened to rescind local broadcasters’ licenses, despite federal law prohibiting such action based on content.

At the center of the dispute is Federal Communications Commission [FCC] Chair Brendan Carr, who threatened to investigate Kimmel’s remarks.

On Thursday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: “All they do is hit Trump. I would think maybe their license should be taken away. It will be up to Brendan Carr.”

Kimmel is the most prominent figure targeted in a broader wave of suspensions and firings against critics of Kirk, which have also swept up academics, teachers, and corporate employees.

Republicans argue that critics are engaging in dangerous “hate speech” that could incite violence, while Democrats accuse the president of launching an assault on First Amendment protections.

Obama sharply criticized Trump’s threats in a statement: “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like”.

Civil liberties groups and entertainment unions echoed the warning. The ACLU called the suspension an unconstitutional attempt to “silence critics and control what the American people watch and read,” while actors’ and writers’ unions described it as an attack on dissent.

Behind the scenes, pressure from major broadcasters added to ABC’s decision. Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcast Group — two of the largest owners of local affiliates, both awaiting FCC approval for merger deals — announced they would stop airing Kimmel’s show. Disney executives Bob Iger and Dana Walden ultimately approved the suspension, according to a source familiar with the decision.

For critics of the president, however, the larger issue is clear: Trump’s threats to weaponize broadcast licenses mark a dramatic escalation in his long-running feud with the press. As one Hollywood protester put it, “When people can’t make fun of the administration, you know that we’re really going down a dark road”.