Jimmy Kimmel slammed Donald Trump for threatening to sue ABC on the latest episode of his late-night show.
Jimmy Kimmel returned to the air on Sept. 24 after a nearly weeklong suspension.

Jimmy Kimmel is once again hitting back at President Donald Trump.

The late-night host on Sept. 24 responded to Trump threatening a lawsuit against ABC for bringing "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" back on the air following a controversial suspension. Shortly before Kimmel's show returned on Sept. 23, Trump posted on Truth Social that he "can't believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back."

"You can't believe they gave me my job back?" Kimmel fired back. "I can't believe we gave you your job back."

The president in his Truth Social post also threatened to sue ABC over the late-night show, saying that Kimmel puts the network in "jeopardy," and "I think we're going to test ABC out on this." ABC News previously reached a settlement after Trump sued over comments that anchor George Stephanopoulos made involving E. Jean Carroll, who has accused the president of sexual assault. "Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars," Trump posted on Truth Social. "This one sounds even more lucrative."

"Only Donald Trump would try to prove he wasn't threatening ABC by threatening ABC," Kimmel joked. "You almost have to feel sorry for the people who work for him, who try to clean up the messes."

In response to Trump's claims that Kimmel was suspended due to bad ratings, the host replied, referring to Trump's approval rating, "He does know bad ratings. He has some of the worst ratings any president has ever had."

"There are still a lot of people who think I should be pulled off the air for making fun of Donald Trump, so I want to explain," Kimmel told viewers. "I talk about Trump, more than anything, because he's a bully. I don't like bullies. I played the clarinet in high school, OK? So I just don't like them. Donald Trump is an old fashioned, '80s movie-style bully, taking your lunch money, and if you give it to him once, he'll take it again."

He added, "Rooting for this bully, I don't care what side you're on, it's like rooting for Biff from 'Back to the Future.' Literally, Donald Trump was the model for Biff in 'Back to the Future,' and this is who people are cheering for? I don't know about you. I'm with Marty McFly."

When Kimmel read out a portion of Trump's Truth Social post saying that the host's audience is "gone," a member of Kimmel's studio audience shouted, "We're right here, Jimmy!" Kimmel playfully told the person to be quiet, quipping, "The freedom of speech is only for me."

Kimmel, a longtime critic of Trump who has frequently criticized the president on his show, was suspended for almost a week after he said that the "MAGA gang" was "desperately trying to characterize" Tyler Robinson, the suspect charged with killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, "as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it."

ABC suspended Kimmel after Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, threatened the network to take action against the comedian. Disney, ABC's parent company, said Kimmel's comments were "ill-timed and thus insensitive," but the suspension sparked widespread outcry and accusations of government censorship.

Though Kimmel's show has resumed production, it remains off the air in parts of the country due to Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group declining to air it on their ABC affiliates.

"If you are watching from one of those cities, please know that the person you are looking at right now is not me," Kimmel joked. "Thank God they're not preempting the new season of ‘The Golden Bachelor’ because of this."

Kimmel was joined on his latest episode by guests Ethan Hawke and Lisa Ann Walter. Hawke told Kimmel that "last night was amazing and we're all really proud of you," referring to Kimmel's first monologue after his suspension. Walter, meanwhile, brought Kimmel a pasta dish and joked, "I figured, you were out of work for a few days, you might need some food."

Trump celebrated the initial news of Kimmel's suspension on Sept. 17, thanking "ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done." He also claimed that Kimmel's show had been "CANCELLED," even though ABC only ever announced it was suspended.

In his first monologue back on Sept. 23, Kimmel said the president "tried his best to cancel me" but instead "forced millions of people to watch the show."

"(Disney) welcomed me back on the air, and I thank them for that," Kimmel said. "Unfortunately, and I think unjustly, this puts them at risk. The president of the United States made it very clear he wants to see me and the hundreds of people who work here fired from our jobs. Our leader celebrates Americans losing their livelihoods because he can't take a joke."

Trump previously celebrated CBS' decision to cancel "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," and he has called for NBC to fire Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon from their late-night shows.

This story has been updated to include additional information.

Contributing: Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jimmy Kimmel fires back at Trump over threat to sue ABC: 'He's a bully'

Reporting by Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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