Former President Barack Obama on Thursday accused the Trump administration of escalating “cancel culture” by weaponizing regulatory threats to pressure media companies into silencing journalists and commentators. “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.
Obama’s comments come as Disney confirmed to Fox News Digital that it will indefinitely pull ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the air. The decision to preempt the late-night program was reported as of Sept. 17, 2025, according to Disney officials.
On Monday, Kimmel, a prominent late-night comedian, accused conservatives of reaching “new lows” by trying to link 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson to left-wing ideology amid coverage of a deadly incident. In an indictment filed Tuesday, prosecutors — along with FBI officials and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican — said Robinson embraced a “leftist ideology” and had grown increasingly radicalized in recent years. Investigators also noted that three rounds in Robinson’s rifle magazine were engraved with the phrase, “Hey fascist! Catch!”
We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it, Kimmel said on his show. On Tuesday night, he mocked Vice President JD Vance for “pointing his little mascara-stained finger directly at the left” as guest host of “The Charlie Kirk Show.” Vance said on the show that most “lunatics” in U.S. politics belong to the far left. “And by ‘statistical fact,’ he means complete bulls---,” Kimmel reacted.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, issued a threat against Disney on Wednesday if it didn’t address the controversy. Carr described Kimmel’s comments as “the sickest conduct,” and suggested there were potential “avenues” the FCC could pursue during an interview on “The Benny Show,” hosted by conservative commentator and podcaster Benny Johnson. “Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or, you know, there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,” Carr said.
Kimmel has made President Donald Trump a regular punchline, mocking his policies and rhetoric. Trump has regularly fired back, criticizing Kimmel as a “terrible” or “low-rated” host and has also insisted the comedian only gets a ratings bump when he talks about him.
The episode highlights the fault line between political rhetoric, media criticism and regulatory oversight, with corporate decision-making adding another layer to how messages are shaped and shared in a polarized national conversation.