President Donald Trump applauded ABC's move to suspend "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after the host commented on conservative reactions to Charlie Kirk's death.

Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative activist and close political ally of Trump, was shot and killed at a Utah Valley University speaking event on Sept. 10. A wave of people across the country from a Marine Corps recruiter to university faculty have faced professional disciplinary actions following their social media posts about Kirk that some found offensive.

Host Jimmy Kimmel talked about the shooting in a Sept. 15 episode, talking about Trump's and Republicans' response to the shooting and the suspect. Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with murder in the incident.

Kimmel's comments came under fierce criticism from the head of the Federal Communications Commission and ABC News told USA TODAY in statement on Sept. 17 "'Jimmy Kimmel Live' will be pre-empted indefinitely." Trump has also long been at odds with Kimmel and other late night hosts, calling for their dismissals.

Kimmel was seen leaving the theater where the show is taped the evening of the announcement, but did not respond to a request for comment, according to Reuters.

So how did Trump respond to the news?

What did Trump post about Jimmy Kimmel?

Trump posted on Truth Social in response to the news about the show, calling it "great news for America."

"Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done," the post wrote. "Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!"

CBS announced in July it was canceling "The Late Show" with Stephen Colbert in May 2026. The network said it was a financial decision, though other late-night hosts and critics have been skeptical of that reasoning, given Colbert's criticism of Trump.

Jimmy Fallon joked on his show after the 2024 election, "America decided to get back with a crazy ex." His contract with NBCUniversal is up in 2028. Seth Meyers is also a frequent critic of Trump and his "Late Night with Seth Meyers" contract is up in 2028.

What did Jimmy Kimmel say about Trump and Charlie Kirk?

During his opening monologue on Monday, Sept. 15, Kimmel said the following:

"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. In between the finger-pointing, there was, uh, grieving. On Friday, the White House flew the flags at half-staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this."

The clip then shows a video of Trump talking to reporters. He was asked how he was doing, personally, following the death of his ally Kirk. Trump responded, "I think very good," before diverting attention to construction of the White House ballroom Trump is having built.

Kimmel continues after the clip of Trump:

"Yes, he's at the fourth stage of grief: construction. Demolition, construction. This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend; this is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK? And it didn't just happen once,"

Kimmel played another clip of Trump talking on Fox News' "Fox & Friends," saying he was meeting with the ballroom's architects when he found out Kirk was shot.

"And then we installed the most beautiful chandelier...you, sconces you wouldn't believe. There's something wrong with him, there really is. I mean, who thinks like that, and why are we building a $200 million ballroom in the White House? Is it possible that he's doing it intentionally so he can be bad about that instead of the (Jeffrey) Epstein list? …"

Trump has targeted, sued media companies in second term

Trump has long decried the news media as "fake news," and has ramped up legal attacks on major media outlets since winning the White House back. But he has long filed lawsuits against the media that do not amount to anything. In one case, a judge ordered Trump to pay more than $392,000 in legal fees to the New York Times over a frivolous lawsuit.

Here are some other recent lawsuits against media companies:

  • New York Times - Trump announced on Sept. 15 a defamation and libel lawsuit against the New York Times for $15 billion. The lawsuit filed in Florida cites a series of articles, an editorial and a book published by Penguin Random House that Trump's lawyers say are part of an "intentional and malicious defamation against President Trump," the court filing shows.
  • Wall Street Journal - Trump sued Dow Jones & Co., News Corp., owner Rupert Murdoch and reporters Khadeeja Safdar and Joseph Palazzolo after the outlet published a story about a birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein that appeared to be signed by Trump. Trump called it "false, malicious, and defamatory." The House Oversight Committee later released the letter, though the White House said it would still pursue legal action. The Wall Street Journal said it stood by its reporting and would fight the lawsuit. Trump sued the Journal for $10 billion.
  • CBS News - Trump sued CBS News in October 2024 for $10 billion (later bumped up to $20 billion) over edits to a “60 Minutes” interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. Parent company Paramount settled the lawsuit for $16 million in July, according to Reuters.
  • ABC News - In March 2024, Trump sued ABC News and host George Stephanopoulos over questions about E. Jean Carroll, whom juries found Trump liable for raping and defaming. ABC News settled the case for $15 million in December, according to Reuters.
  • Des Moines Register - Trump sued the Des Moines Register (a USA TODAY Network newspaper), parent company Gannett and pollster J. Ann Selzer in December 2024 after a poll released shortly before the election overstated Iowa's support for former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 race for president. The parties have squabbled over the lawsuit's jurisdiction for months. Both Gannett and Selzer have moved to dismiss Trump's lawsuit. The lawsuit asked for unspecified damages under Iowa's Consumer Fraud Act.

Contributing: Anthony Robledo, Brendan Morrow, KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY

Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What did Trump say about Jimmy Kimmel's show? What to know after show pulled

Reporting by Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect