Jimmy Kimmel Taunts Trump, Saying His Plan to Silence Him 'Backfired Bigly' in Scathing Monologue

Jimmy Kimmel's emotional, defiant return to his late-night programme on 23 September 2025 saw the host thank allies, rail against what he called political intimidation, and take pointed aim at US President Donald Trump, all in a monologue that crystallised a week-long culture-war showdown between a broadcaster, the White House and regulators.

Kimmel opened by acknowledging the sensitivity of recent events and by insisting he had not meant to make light of Charlie Kirk's death; he then pivoted into an unapologetic defence of free speech and a mocking rebuke of those who celebrated his suspension.

The show's comeback, taped amid standing ovations and the ongoing pre-emption of the episode on major affiliate groups, has left a tangle of legal threats, regulatory sparring and commercial fallout in its wake.

Kimmel's Defiant Comeback

Kimmel's return was part eulogy, part roast. He thanked supporters across the political spectrum, fought back tears when discussing the tragedy at the heart of the controversy and repeatedly framed his suspension as a test of press freedom.

In the middle of the 16-minute opener, he turned to the President directly: 'He tried his best to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired bigly', Kimmel said, using humour to underline a sober argument about intimidation and livelihoods. The moment quickly became the clearest articulation of his stance that pulling a show risks amplifying it.

Kimmel also lobbed cultural barbs, a reference to 'Epstein files' among them, as he tried to steer the conversation from mere outrage to a broader debate about the role of satire in public life.

The monologue was widely shared online, and a transcript was made available shortly after broadcast, ensuring the words he spoke would themselves be the centrepiece of reporting and comment.

Trump's Truth Social Tirade and a Legal Threat

An hour before the East Coast broadcast, President Trump posted a furious message on Truth Social asserting that ABC had once told the White House Kimmel's show was cancelled, and vowing to 'test' the network.

He attacked Kimmel's talent and accused ABC of producing '99% positive Democrat GARBAGE', adding: 'Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad ratings'.

Trump also referenced a prior settlement with broadcasters, 'Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 million', a claim he used to frame his intent to pursue ABC financially now. That figure converts to roughly £11.8m ($16m); critics noted the post reads less like a policy critique and more like courtroom prelude.

The President's public salvo did two things: it kept the controversy in the national spotlight, and it spurred fresh debate over whether political pressure and legal threats are being used to influence editorial decisions at commercial broadcasters.

ABC's reversal to reinstate Kimmel, after what the network called 'thoughtful conversations', only deepened the partisan cleavage around the story.

Regulatory and Broadcast Fallout

Regulatory alarm bells were sounded early. FCC Chair Brendan Carr publicly criticised Kimmel's comments and encouraged stations to consider pre-emption; his remarks were later defended and then downplayed as he insisted government pressure had not forced ABC's initial decision.

Carr's interventions, made on social media and in broadcast interviews, were seized on by both sides as evidence of an extraordinary regulatory involvement in culture-war disputes.

Commercially, the costs are immediate and concrete. Two of the country's largest station owners, Sinclair and Nexstar, announced they would continue to pre-empt the show on their ABC affiliates even after Disney/ABC lifted the suspension, a move that keeps the episode off air in markets reaching roughly a quarter of US households.

That fractured distribution means the controversy will play out differently across local markets and online streaming platforms.

For now, Kimmel's quip, 'that backfired bigly', will echo not only as a punchline but as provocation in a dispute that is far from settled.