Jimmy Kimmel fired back at President Donald Trump’s displeasure at network media’s coverage of the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
In another late-night ramble on his personal social media network, the president called out “the Late Night Morons” and their “gigantic salaries,” saying that these hosts, alongside legacy media organizations, are using their platforms to “perpetuate LIES.”
“I am so thrilled to see Brendan Carr, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), looking at the licenses of some of these Corrupt and Highly Unpatriotic ‘News’ Organizations,” wrote Trump, 79.
“They get Billions of Dollars of FREE American Airwaves, and use it to perpetuate LIES, both in News and almost all of their Shows, including the Late Night Morons, who get gigantic Salaries for horrible Ratings, and never get, as I used to say in The Apprentice, ‘FIRED.’ Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP,” he concluded.
Kimmel quipped back, “You know what? You’re welcome. I don’t know if you were thanking me, but you are welcome. On behalf of all my fellow late-night morons, you are welcome.”
The TV veteran joked that Trump’s gratitude toward Federal Communications Chairman and MAGA crony Brendan Carr is “like a ventriloquist complimenting his dummy on a joke.”
Carr continued his attacks on the press amid the Trump administration’s mounting anger at unfavorable coverage of the war. The FCC lead accused broadcasters of “running hoaxes and news distortions,” saying that anyone who does not operate “in the public interest” could lose their licenses.
Democratic leaders have sounded the alarm after Carr’s threats, with Gavin Newsom calling the latest attack on press freedom “flagrantly unconstitutional.”
Kimmel described Carr as Trump’s “attack Schnauzer,” saying that the president called him in because he’s “very upset about network news coverage of the war.”
This ongoing battle against the press has been routinely echoed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has called out networks such as CNN for “fake news.” During a briefing on Friday, the former Fox News host demanded a more “patriotic press.”
Kimmel previously slammed Hegseth for being a “sensitive little snowflake” and for continuously launching a “crusade against the free press.”
There’s no love lost between Kimmel and the president’s cabinet. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung called the late-night host a “classless hack” after he roasted the First Lady while presenting at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday.
