Kimmel fires back as Trump threatens to sue ABC again after return to late night

Jimmy Kimmel opened his first late-night show since a suspension with a sharp response to Donald Trump’s threats to sue ABC for letting him back on the air. The ABC host addressed the former president’s Truth Social post, which went live shortly after Kimmel’s show finished taping last night, and signaled that he would not back down in his return to the air.

Kimmel leaned into the confrontation, paraphrasing Trump’s post and mocking the president with a tag referring to him as the “mad red hatter.” He noted Trump’s claim that ABC had invited him back despite poor ratings and turned the line back at the former president, saying that if anyone ought to be incredulous about a job being restored, it’s Trump himself. Kimmel asserted that the White House had not been informed of any cancellation, pushing back against the notion that ABC acted behind the scenes to remove him. The host framed the moment as a direct contest over accountability and satire in a media landscape where political rhetoric brushes up against television’s business realities.

An audience member tried to interrupt in support, and Kimmel responded with a reminder that freedom of speech, in his view, comes with limits in live television; he stressed that the jokes were aimed at the president and the political dynamic, not the audience. He then read Trump’s broader assertions about the network’s supposed motives, including a claim that ABC kept him on the air to “play 99% positive Democrat garbage” and the suggestion that the network’s integrity was at stake. Kimmel pressed the point that the president’s language mirrored a threat to censor or silence criticism, and he framed the moment as part of a broader pattern of intimidation rather than a legitimate debate about ratings or programming decisions.

The monologue then turned toward how the dispute could play out in the courts, with Kimmel joking that if Trump filed suit, the show might “pack the courts with Judge Steve Harvey,” a quip that drew audience laughter. He imagined a litigious scenario in which Trump’s argument might be dismissed, prompting the punchline that the legal system would expose the limits of threats versus actual consequences. He also used the moment to revisit a familiar trope in his defense: the idea that he and his staff are not seeking censorship but rather defending a space where jokes about powerful figures can be made without fear of retribution.

Kimmel added a segment that underscored his broader critique of Trump as a bully—a characterization he tied to the archetype of an ’80s film antagonist. He compared the former president to Biff Tannen from Back to the Future, noting that such a bully has long been a cultural shorthand for intimidation. The host extended the fantasy into a satirical scenario in which Trump bullies a child at lunch money, amplifying the tension between comedic satire and real-world consequences. He concluded this stretch by portraying Trump as someone who would read a note from a child’s mother aloud to the room, reinforcing the sense that the satire was aimed at a broader pattern of behavior rather than a single incident.

The night’s material also touched on the human side of the show’s operation. Kimmel riffed on the reaction of staff and friends in Hollywood to the news of his return, sending up the idea that he owed his continued position to dirt on people in the industry, a line that drew audience laughter while highlighting the precariousness of media livelihoods in the entertainment ecosystem. He also teased the idea that a large number of celebrities had signed a letter condemning his earlier suspension, with guest Ethan Hawke even popping out to celebrate, though Hawke appeared to sign the letter on the spot during the bit.

Earlier in the episode, Kimmel had delivered a tearful, 20-minute monologue addressing Charlie Kirk’s death and the backlash that followed his prior remarks. He stressed that it was never his intention to lightheartedly condemn any person’s death and condemned censorship even as he stood by his right to joke about public figures. The segment underscored the moral tension that often accompanies late-night humor involving real-world events, and it framed Kimmel’s return as part of a larger conversation about accountability, speech, and the responsibilities of both entertainers and platforms.

The comeback episode yielded striking numbers, signaling a rebound for Kimmel’s program. ABC reported that the show drew about 6.26 million viewers on Monday, a substantial jump from typical daily viewership, though the night’s episode was still preempted in about 23 percent of the country due to carriage decisions related to the earlier suspension coverage. Network officials noted that the performance exceeded typical late-night metrics and that engagement extended beyond the broadcast itself, with the employer counting more than 25 million views of the emotional monologue on social media and roughly 15 million views on YouTube. These figures represented a record scale for the program and underscored the staying power of late-night comedy amid a charged political climate.

Despite the ratings spike, Nexstar, which owns or operates a large share of ABC affiliates, said Wednesday that Kimmel would remain preempted in some markets as the company continues to assess how the program reflects and respects the diverse communities it serves. Nexstar added that it was in productive discussions with Disney, the ABC parent company, about the show’s approach and how best to balance entertainment and community standards. The group accounts for roughly a quarter of ABC’s affiliates, including smaller markets where local programming decisions carry outsized influence.

The episode’s reception reflected a broader cultural moment in which late-night hosts increasingly occupy a space at the intersection of political discourse and entertainment business. Kimmel’s return amplified a debate over censorship, the power of social platforms to shape public perception, and the economics of a franchise built on timely political satire. The host’s defense of his approach and his insistence on continuing to challenge standing power figures positions him as a focal point in ongoing conversations about the role of humor in political life and the responsibilities of media companies to respond to contentious leadership with skepticism and critique. As negotiations continue among affiliates and networks, audiences can expect the nightly format to remain a battleground for satire, free expression, and the evolving norms of what is permissible on late-night television.