Kimmel Marks Suspension Anniversary With Anti-Trump Rant

Jimmy Kimmel marked the one-year anniversary of his suspension for comments about Charlie Kirk by delivering a monologue heavily critical of President Donald Trump's recent media ban.

Kimmel, who was suspended for four days in September 2025, drew parallels between his own experience and Trump's decision to ban CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from White House press access. The host noted that Trump's actions have led to a reduction in his public appearances with media present, stating, "He has no cameras following him around anymore. There are no microphones to record what he's saying."

Viral footage showed Trump speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new helipad on the South Lawn on Monday, with no press pool present to record his remarks. Major networks had refused to replace the banned outlets, further isolating Trump from traditional press coverage. Kimmel suggested this situation must be infuriating for the president, remarking, "There's nothing this man loves more than being on television."

He further quipped about the White House's response, saying, "And now, thanks to his own dumb actions, the only camera at the White House is the Ring camera Melania had mounted on her bedroom door to keep him out of it." The audience responded with laughter.

Kimmel also addressed the conservative justifications for the ban, playing clips of figures like J.D. Vance and Sarah Huckabee Sanders attempting to frame the move not as a ban but as a "refusal to grant special access to people who are engaged in dishonest reporting." Vance stated, "It is not a ban."

The host sarcastically praised the administration's efforts to compensate for the lack of traditional press coverage, pointing to the White House's new 24-hour YouTube livestream, dubbed "Trump TV." He described it as "state-run media" and criticized its low viewership and the disabling of comments, calling the stream "spotty and weak, just like the President's."

Kimmel's own suspension occurred on September 17, 2025, after he made comments regarding the suspect in Charlie Kirk's assassination. At the time, Tyler Robinson, 22, had been charged with capital murder. The Federal Communications Commission boss Brendan Carr reprimanded Kimmel two days later, leading Disney to suspend production of his show. Kimmel returned to air on September 23, 2025, with Disney stating the suspension was to avoid further inflaming a tense situation and that the comments were "ill-timed and thus insensitive."