Defiant Jimmy Kimmel Comes Out Swinging at Trump in Triumphant Monologue

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel came out swinging at President Donald Trump in a defiant monologue on his first show after being suspended in the wake of the Charlie Kirk shooting.

The media world was shaken last Wednesday night by the news that ABC had suspended Kimmel’s show “indefinitely,” just hours after he was targeted by Brendan Carr, President Trump’s hand-picked FCC commissioner.

Kimmel was singled out for a comment he made during a monologue on last Monday’s edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live!:

JIMMY KIMMEL: We hit some new lows over the weekend, with the MAGA gang desperately 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.

The move drew fierce backlash from all quarters, even as President Trump and his allies openly celebrated the suspension — and looked for more. Fellow late-night hosts and other media figures rallied around Kimmel, and reports of mass cancellations of Disney+ subscriptions circulated.

But ABC announced this Monday that Kimmel’s show would return Tuesday night, although major affiliate owners Sinclair Broadcasting and Nextstar have said they will not air the show.

Minutes before Kimmel was set to return, Trump posted a rant threatening ABC on Truth Social, writing:

Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his “talent” was never there. 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. He is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution. 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. A true bunch of losers! Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad Ratings.

Thus the table was set for Tuesday’s edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live, during which the host came out to a thunderous ovation to deliver his first monologue since being forced off the air.

Kimmel began by thanking everyone for their support, then choked up when he reiterated his horror at Kirk’s killing.

But the latter part of his monologue was devoted to assailing Trump for having pressured ABC into suspending him, and taunting the president over what will likely be a huge ratings success that “backfired” against Trump “bigly.”

Watch above via ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live.