‘Better be soon’: Trump’s new Kimmel threat

Trump Kimmel threat: President demands ABC host face jail over Oscars joke

By Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

President Donald Trump said late-night host Jimmy Kimmel “better be” jailed soon, escalating a years-long feud that began when Kimmel mocked Trump during the 2023 Academy Awards ceremony.

The threat came during Trump’s freewheeling interview with former aide Sebastian Gorka on Thursday, when the president claimed Kimmel committed an unspecified crime while hosting the Oscars. “He did a very bad thing,” Trump told Gorka without providing evidence. “Better be soon.”

The president has previously accused the ABC host of violating federal broadcasting laws by making jokes about him during the live telecast, though federal regulators found no violations. The feud dates to March 2023 when Kimmel deviated from the Oscar script to mock Trump as the former president watched from home.

Trump filed complaints with the Federal Communications Commission after the ceremony, alleging Kimmel breached indecency rules by calling him “delusional” and comparing him to the film “Cocaine Bear.” The FCC dismissed the complaints in May 2023, ruling Kimmel’s comments fell under protected political speech.

The president revived his grievance during a 45-minute podcast appearance where he detailed perceived slights from Hollywood celebrities. “Kimmel thinks he’s funny, but what he did was criminal,” Trump said without elaborating. Federal law contains no statute prohibiting jokes about the president during awards shows.

White House officials did not respond to questions about which laws Trump believes Kimmel violated. The Justice Department has not indicated any investigation into the comedian.

Kimmel, who has mocked Trump for years on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” addressed the comments on his Thursday night program. The host played clips from Trump’s interview and joked about needing “a presidential pardon for comedy.”

The ABC personality has faced Trump’s wrath before. During the 2018 Oscars, Kimmel joked that Trump watched the ceremony “from his private toilet.” Trump responded with a 2:30 a.m. tweet calling Kimmel “terrible” and suggesting he hire better writers.

The president’s threat represents an escalation even by the standards of their long-running feud. Trump previously limited his criticism to social media posts and campaign rally asides. Thursday’s comments mark the first time he suggested jail time for the comedian.

Media law experts dismissed the president’s claims as legally baseless. “There’s nothing criminal about making jokes about political figures,” said Floyd Abrams, a First Amendment attorney who has represented media organizations. “The Constitution specifically protects this kind of speech.”

The clash highlights Trump’s continued focus on personal grievances with media figures as he manages multiple foreign policy crises and domestic legislative battles. The president spent several minutes of the Gorka interview relitigating the Oscars incident from three years ago.

Kimmel’s network, ABC, declined to comment on Trump’s remarks. The comedian has lampooned Trump since his 2015 campaign launch, creating recurring segments like “Drumpf” and regularly devoting monologue time to mocking the president’s policies and statements.

The president’s supporters praised his tough talk. “Finally someone stands up to these Hollywood bullies,” wrote one commenter on the Gorka podcast YouTube page. Trump critics warned the comments represented dangerous authoritarian rhetoric.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy called the remarks “chilling” in a Friday morning tweet. “Presidents don’t threaten to jail comedians for jokes,” the Connecticut lawmaker wrote. “This is how democracies die.”

The incident recalls Trump’s previous battles with late-night hosts. He has called Stephen Colbert “a no-talent guy,” branded Seth Meyers “terrible,” and accused NBC of “collusion” for allowing “Saturday Night Live” sketches that mock him.

Background

Trump and Kimmel’s animosity stretches back to 2015 when Kimmel began regularly mocking candidate Trump’s campaign rallies and policy proposals. The late-night host coined the term “Drumpf” as a juvenile insult, referencing what he claimed was Trump’s ancestral family name.

Their most famous confrontation occurred during the 2013 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, when Kimmel hosted and Trump sat stone-faced through jokes about his reality TV career and signature hairstyle. Trump later said the dinner convinced him to run for president.

The 2023 Oscars incident that Trump referenced began when Kimmel, hosting the ceremony for the third time, noticed Trump had posted critical tweets about the broadcast. Kimmel deviated from his prepared script to mock Trump’s film knowledge and suggest he was watching from a “golden toilet.”

FCC rules prohibit broadcast indecency between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., but the Oscars aired during safe harbor hours. The commission also gives wide leeway to live programming where producers cannot control spontaneous remarks.

What’s Next

Kimmel is expected to continue mocking Trump’s threat on upcoming shows, providing fodder for ratings-grabbing segments. The comedian has historically viewed presidential attacks as beneficial for his brand, often wearing criticism as a badge of honor.

The incident likely guarantees continued tension between Trump and late-night hosts as the 2026 midterm elections approach. Comedy writers across networks have already begun crafting responses to the president’s latest broadside against one of their own.

Trump’s comments may also trigger new debates about presidential rhetoric and press freedom. Constitutional scholars warn such threats, even if legally hollow, can chill speech and normalize attacks on media figures critical of government officials.

The president’s focus on three-year-old grievances suggests his media battles will continue distracting from policy debates as his administration seeks to implement its agenda. Late-night hosts now have fresh material linking Trump’s personal vendettas to governance concerns.