After President Donald Trump once again called for Jimmy Kimmel's removal from TV airwaves, the late-night host accused Trump of trying to get him fired earlier this year.
In a Nov. 19 Truth Social post, the president expressed confusion over Kimmel's employment status, writing: "Why does ABC Fake News keep Jimmy Kimmel, a man with NO TALENT and VERY POOR TELEVISION RATINGS, on the air? Why do the TV Syndicates put up with it? Also, totally biased coverage. Get the bum off the air!!!"
During his opening monologue on Thursday, Kimmel recounted the September hiatus of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" following pushback from the Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr and station owners Sinclair and Nexstar over the host's comments regarding the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.
"You've done this before. You tried to get me fired in September. It didn't work," Kimmel said on the Nov. 20 episode, adding, "Mr President, I admire your tenacity."
In response to a USA TODAY request for comment, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson clapped back, writing, "Reacting to Kimmel's show would require me to waste my time watching it, and like many Americans who choose not to watch it, I have more entertaining things to do - like watch paint dry."
