When Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by ABC amid pressure from FCC Chair Brendan Carr, public figures from across the political spectrum raised the red flag about government encroachment on a private citizen’s First Amendment rights.
The suspension became one of the year’s top news stories and resulted in a major ratings surge for Kimmel, once he returned to his time slot.
Interest in that bizarre series of events remains high, so it makes sense that Jimmy is eager to sit down and discuss the matter with his harshest critic.
Kimmel says he’d love to sit down with Trump for a live interview
“I’d love to have Trump on the show, for sure,” Kimmel told Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw in an interview on Thursday.
“Yeah…I’ll ask him,” the comic added.
Believe it or not, Trump has appeared on Kimmel’s show before, sitting down for an interview during his 2016 presidential campaign.
But according to White House rep Abigail Jackson, he won’t be making a return trip to the set.
“Reacting to anything Jimmy Kimmel says would require me to watch his show and I have much more entertaining things to do, like watch paint dry,” Jackson told Page Six in response to Kimmel’s remark.
Trump blasts Kimmel following news of ABC suspension
Trump, of course, was one of the first to celebrate the news that Kimmel’s show had been pulled from the air.
“Great News for America: The ratings-challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED,” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform following Kimmel’s suspension.
“Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible.”
The move came after Carr encouraged ABC and its parent company Disney to take action against Kimmel in a highly publicized podcast interview.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr told far-right pundit Benny Johnson in September (via NPR), adding:
“These companies can find ways to change conduct to take action on Kimmel or, you know, there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Carr’s comments seem to be in response to Trump’s remarks about the possibility of revoking broadcasting licenses from networks that criticize his administration.
“They give me only bad press,” Trump said last month.
“They’re getting a license. I think maybe their license should be taken away. It will be up to Brendan Carr. I think Brendan Carr is outstanding. He’s a patriot. He loves our country, and he’s a tough guy. So we’ll see.”
Needless to say, it seems unlikely that Trump will appear on Kimmel’s show — but it would make for some quality television!