US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has suggested that broadcasters should lose their licences if they air programmes critical of him.

His comment comes after ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show this week over comments about the killing of far-right activist Charlie Kirk.

The Disney-owned network announced on Wednesday that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be pulled “indefinitely” following a backlash to remarks the comedian made during his Monday monologue.

Kimmel had accused “the Maga gang” of trying to exploit Kirk’s death for political gain and mocked Trump’s response, comparing it to “how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, described Kimmel’s words as “the sickest conduct possible” and warned that Disney and ABC risked regulatory consequences.

Hours later, Nexstar Media Group, the country’s largest owner of local TV stations, said it would no longer air Kimmel’s show.

Trump welcomed the move, telling reporters on Air Force One yesterday that networks giving him “wholly bad publicity” should be penalised.

“They’re getting a licence. I would think maybe their licence should be taken away,” he said.

On social media, he had stated that Kimmel’s suspension is “Great news for America”.

“The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED.”

The suspension has triggered a fierce political and cultural backlash. Writers’ unions, actors’ guilds, and civil liberties groups condemned the decision as censorship.

Former President Barack Obama accused Trump of taking cancel culture “to a new and dangerous level” by pressuring media companies to silence critics.

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

Demonstrators gathered outside Kimmel’s Hollywood studio with signs reading “Don’t bend a knee to Trump” and “Cancel Disney+.”

Other late-night hosts also rallied to Kimmel’s side.

Stephen Colbert opened his CBS show with a parody mocking Disney, saying, “Jimmy, I stand with you and your staff 100%.”

Jon Stewart branded himself a “patriotically obedient host” on The Daily Show and sarcastically praised Trump as “dear leader.”

Conservatives, however, defended the decision.

Podcaster Megyn Kelly argued Kimmel had “smeared an entire movement” with “a vile disgusting lie.”

Fox host Greg Gutfeld said the comedian had “deliberately and misleadingly” blamed Kirk’s allies for his murder.

Kirk was shot dead while speaking at Utah Valley University on 10 September.

A 22-year-old suspect has been charged with aggravated murder, and prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty.

ABC and Disney have not commented publicly on the length of Kimmel’s suspension. His contract runs until May 2026.