President Donald Trump brushed off concerns that free speech is under fire and instead claimed Jimmy Kimmel was “fired” simply because he “lacks talent.” The jab came during a joint press conference with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, where Trump was asked whether free expression is being squeezed in the United States after ABC benched Jimmy Kimmel Live following the comedian’s commentary on the Charlie Kirk assassination. “He had very bad ratings,” Trump said, adding that Kimmel was let go “for lack of talent,” not politics.
ABC announced an indefinite suspension of Kimmel’s late night show after his monologues torched political reactions to the Kirk killing. The move sent shockwaves through media and politics, with affiliates and advertisers jittery, and critics blasting the network for caving under pressure amid a white hot national debate. The network’s decision followed days of blowback from conservative figures and industry chatter that the controversy was becoming a business problem.
President Trump: “Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else and he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk and Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person. He had very bad ratings and they should have fired him a long time… pic.twitter.com/GOgpw9UW5m
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 18, 2025
Trump’s framing, that Kimmel’s ouster was a ratings issue, clashed with the broader political fight now circling the case. Civil liberties groups and some lawmakers say the suspension looks like a private company bowing to government pressure, a combustible look at a time when the administration is loudly sparring with media outlets and entertainers. The president, for his part, has publicly cheered the suspension.
Fueling the uproar, FCC Chair Brendan Carr blasted Kimmel’s remarks and rattled the sabre at ABC, a highly unusual move that watchdogs warned could threaten free speech. Press freedom and civil liberties advocates swiftly called out the threat, arguing that regulators should not be leaning on broadcasters over political commentary, especially while those same companies may have other business before the commission.
Barack Obama speaks out against Jimmy Kimmel’s show being pulled off the air:
“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… pic.twitter.com/pFaLmutmir
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 18, 2025
The flashpoint traces back to Kimmel’s segments about the shocking onstage shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Prosecutors have charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson and say they will seek the death penalty. Investigators are still mapping motive, and in the information vacuum, misinformation has exploded across social platforms as foreign and domestic actors try to weaponize the story.
Amid the media storm, Starmer struck a careful tone about speech protections during the press conference, saying free expression must be safeguarded, while noting there are limits when it crosses into clearly harmful territory. His remarks offered a contrast in emphasis, as Trump zeroed in on dunking on a late-night critic and brushing aside the censorship alarm.
Not a big fan of Jimmy Kimmel, but if you think his show should be canceled for this, you’re a hack and a total fraud who should never pretend to care about free speech pic.twitter.com/FSiktbva6y
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) September 17, 2025
Whether Kimmel is technically suspended or fired is more than a spat. If ABC is merely pausing production, the network could revive the show after tempers cool. If the show is truly over, it will be remembered as a case study in the collision of politics, ratings, and regulatory pressure in an already supercharged media climate.
For now, audiences are in limbo, industry insiders are whispering about advertiser calculus, and Trump is taking a victory lap, insisting this is not a free speech story at all, but a talent and numbers story. The country, once again, is watching late night through a political lens, and the punchline is anything but funny.
