Jimmy Kimmel Fires Back at Trump After ABC Threat: ‘He’s an Old-School ’80s Movie Bully’

Just one day after his emotional return to Jimmy Kimmel Live! following a six-day suspension, Jimmy Kimmel wasted no time taking aim at former President Donald Trump.

Kimmel, who was welcomed on stage to roaring applause — joking he felt like “Jerry Springer” — revealed that his comeback episode pulled in 6.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched regularly scheduled episode in the show’s history.

“A lot of people watched our show last night,” Kimmel quipped. “I got so many texts from so many friends — which makes me realize none of them usually watch my show.”

Then, turning his attention to Trump, Kimmel joked that he heard from “one very special friend” right after taping: “the mad red hatter.” He read aloud several of Trump’s Truth Social posts, including one that said, “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back.”

Kimmel fired back: “You can’t believe they gave me my job back? I can’t believe we gave you your job back. We’re even!”

Trump also accused Kimmel of putting ABC “in jeopardy” by airing “99% positive Democrat garbage.” Kimmel didn’t let that slide:
“Who puts the network in jeopardy? You hear that? There’s the threat again — this time straight from the FCC-biscuit’s mouth. Only Donald Trump would try to prove he wasn’t threatening ABC by threatening ABC.”

Kimmel explained why he talks about Trump so often:
“I don’t like bullies. I played clarinet in high school — I know what a bully looks like. And Donald Trump is an old-fashioned ’80s movie-style bully, the guy who steals your lunch money.”

Comparing him to the villain from Back to the Future, Kimmel added:
“Rooting for this bully is like rooting for Biff. And yes, Donald Trump was literally the model for Biff. I’m with Marty McFly.”

Tuesday’s episode wasn’t just a ratings hit on TV — it became a viral sensation online. His monologue racked up over 17.7 million views on YouTube within 22 hours, breaking his all-time record.

Kimmel also took a moment to address the remarks about Charlie Kirk that led to his suspension, clarifying that he never meant to make light of the tragedy.
“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” Kimmel said, visibly emotional. “I sent a message of compassion to his family the day he was killed, and I still mean it. I wasn’t blaming any group for what happened — it was the act of a deeply disturbed individual. If my words felt ill-timed or unclear, I understand why people were upset.”