Obama Slams Trump After Jimmy Kimmel Yanked Off Air

Barack Obama is accusing Donald Trump of weaponizing the federal government to silence critics — after ABC abruptly pulled Jimmy Kimmel off the air under pressure from the White House.

On Thursday morning, the former president lit up social media with a fiery statement blasting what he called a “new and dangerous level” of censorship.

After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like. https://t.co/uts7JpJZzN

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 18, 2025

“After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like,” Obama wrote on X.

The drama began after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, appearing on a conservative YouTube show, accused Kimmel of spreading misinformation about the assassin who gunned down Trump ally Charlie Kirk. Carr told host Benny Johnson that Kimmel’s monologue crossed the line.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr warned. “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

Within 24 hours, Nexstar — the powerhouse behind ABC affiliate stations nationwide — announced it would “indefinitely” suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! The company’s broadcast chief Andrew Alford said Kimmel’s jokes were “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse.”

But in Monday’s monologue, Kimmel never directly called the shooter a MAGA supporter. Instead, he ripped Trump’s loyalists for “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”

The segment has since racked up more than 3.7 million views on YouTube, turning Kimmel into an even bigger flashpoint.

Trump wasted no time in celebrating the move, posting on Truth Social that it was “Great News for America.”

“Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” he wrote. “Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible.”

The White House’s rapid response team piled on, calling the late-night host a “sick freak.”

Obama, however, took the opposite stance. He accused media companies of cowardice for bowing to government threats.

“This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it,” he wrote in a second post.

Obama’s criticism didn’t stop at Kimmel’s cancellation. He also highlighted the recent firing of longtime Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah, who claimed she was pushed out over comments made after Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

“This is bigger than one comedian or one journalist,” Obama warned. “If powerful people can decide who gets to speak and who doesn’t, we all lose.”

This latest rebuke fits a growing pattern: the former president has stepped up his attacks on Trump in recent months. In August, he issued a stark warning about the “federalization and militarization” of local police under Trump’s leadership. In July, he blasted the White House for pumping out what he called “constant nonsense and misinformation.”

Now, with late-night television itself in the crosshairs, the fight over free speech is colliding head-on with the raw politics of 2025.