Trump Escalates War on Late-Night TV, Threatening to ‘Cancel’ ‘SNL’ Host Over Kimmel Solidarity Sketch

By James Poniewozik and Michael M. Grynbaum Washington — Nov. 29, 2025

President Donald J. Trump, whose second term has seen an intensifying crusade against perceived media enemies, turned his sights on “Saturday Night Live” on Friday, vowing to “cancel that clown” — a reference to the show’s longtime Trump impersonator, James Austin Johnson — after the comedian used his opening monologue to defend suspended ABC host Jimmy Kimmel. The threat, posted to Truth Social amid a torrent of Epstein-related scrutiny, capped a week of White House fury over late-night satire and prompted a rare bipartisan rebuke from broadcasters and lawmakers. As FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, signaled a review of NBC’s license compliance, the episode has plunged the administration into a fresh culture war skirmish, with aides privately fretting over the optics of a president who once thrived on TV now seeking to shutter it.

The flash point arrived during “SNL’s” cold open, where Mr. Johnson, 36, reprised his eerily accurate Trump impression — complete with furrowed brow and orange-hued tan — to riff on Mr. Kimmel’s recent three-day suspension over Epstein quips. ABC pulled the plug on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” last week after Mr. Kimmel’s monologue mocked Mr. Trump’s reluctance to release Jeffrey Epstein’s files, prompting Mr. Trump to gloat on social media: “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED.” Mr. Johnson, channeling the president’s bombast, interrupted a mock “Weekend Update” segment on free speech. “I’m just here keeping an eye on SNL, making sure they don’t do anything too mean about me,” he drawled, adding: “Daddy’s watching — and if you expose me like Kimmel did, you’re next. Quiet, piggy!” The line, echoing Mr. Trump’s recent slur against a Bloomberg reporter probing Epstein, drew howls from the Studio 8H audience and instant viral clips, viewed over 12 million times on YouTube by Saturday morning.

Mr. Trump’s retaliation was swift, arriving at 1:15 a.m. Saturday in a 300-word Truth Social thread. “SNL’s so-called ‘comedy’ is a disgrace — boring, low-rated trash that hates America! James Austin Johnson, that failed actor, thinks he’s funny defending a has-been like Kimmel? WRONG! NBC, cancel that clown NOW or face the consequences. FCC is watching — your license is on the line!” The post, amplified by MAGA influencers and viewed 25 million times, marked an escalation from Mr. Trump’s earlier salvos against Mr. Kimmel, whom he accused of “defamation” for joking about Epstein’s “Lolita Express” flights carrying the then-businessman in the 1990s. It also echoed his first-term gripes about the show, when he hosted in 2015 and later demanded investigations into its “fake news” sketches.

At Rockefeller Center, “SNL” producers Lorne Michaels and Bowen Yang responded with a cheeky on-air disclaimer: “A message from the White House — don’t do anything too mean about the president. Or else.” Mr. Johnson, in a post-show interview with NBC insiders, shrugged off the threat: “It’s flattering, in a Stockholm syndrome way. Trump watches — that’s the real exposure.” But behind the levity, tensions simmer: NBCUniversal executives, already stung by a 15 percent ratings dip for late-night amid cord-cutting, huddled Friday night to assess FCC risks. Chairman Carr, who orchestrated Mr. Kimmel’s suspension by pressuring ABC affiliates, tweeted: “Broadcast indecency has consequences. NBC should review compliance — satire stops where threats to national security begin.”

The White House meltdown unfolded in real time. Aides, monitoring the East Coast feed from Mar-a-Lago, described Mr. Trump erupting mid-sketch, hurling a remote at a screen and dictating posts to his social media director. “He’s obsessed — Kimmel started it, but SNL lit the fuse,” one communications official said, speaking anonymously to detail the chaos. The outburst compounded a bruising week: Mr. Trump’s approval among young voters, per a new Gallup poll, cratered to 32 percent, with late-night clips cited as a key factor. Epstein’s shadow loomed large; the files’ Dec. 20 release deadline, mandated by Congress over White House veto threats, has fueled bipartisan demands for transparency, with Democrats like Sen. Mark Kelly linking it to Mr. Trump’s past praise for the financier as a “terrific guy.”

Broadcasters rallied in defense. Disney CEO Bob Iger, whose ABC reinstated Mr. Kimmel after a subscriber boycott slashed Disney+ by 200,000 accounts, issued a statement: “Comedy is the canary in the coal mine for free speech — threats like this endanger us all.” CBS, post-Colbert cancellation, joined a coalition letter to Congress warning of “authoritarian overreach.” Late-night peers piled on: Seth Meyers, on “Late Night,” quipped, “Trump wants to cancel SNL? He hosted it — talk about a bad guest who overstays.” Jimmy Fallon dedicated his monologue to Mr. Johnson: “Stay safe, James — and remember, in Trump world, the only thing canceled is accountability.” Mr. Kimmel, taping Friday, looped in: “SNL defended me? I’ll send James a flak jacket — and a copy of the files Trump’s hiding.”

On Capitol Hill, the feud transcended partisanship. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., introduced a bill shielding broadcasters from FCC retaliation, co-sponsored by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., a moderate who called Mr. Trump’s tactics “un-American.” Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., scheduled hearings for December, subpoenaing Mr. Carr over “politicized enforcement.” Even some Republicans demurred: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told Fox News, “The president’s passionate, but comedy’s not the enemy — China is.” Polling from a bipartisan firm showed 62 percent of Americans viewing the threats as “abuse of power,” with independents swinging against Mr. Trump by 8 points.

For Mr. Trump, 79, the saga revives a paradox: The reality TV star who parlayed “The Apprentice” into the White House now wields regulatory hammers against his mockers. Historians draw parallels to Nixon’s “enemies list,” but amplified by social media. “This isn’t grudge-holding; it’s governance by tantrum,” said Kathryn Cramer Brownell, a media historian at Purdue University. “Kimmel exposed Epstein ties; SNL exposed the fragility. Trump’s threats? They’re the real live-TV takedown.” On X, #CancelSNL trended with 2 million mentions, a mix of MAGA boycotts and satirical defenses, including a viral meme of Mr. Johnson as Trump captioned: “I’ll cancel you… after this commercial break.”

As “SNL” prepped its next show, Mr. Michaels emailed staff: “We’ve survived presidents before — satire endures.” Mr. Trump, golfing Saturday, posted a follow-up: “SNL flop — lowest ratings ever! But I’ll tune in… to watch it die.” Yet with Epstein’s release barreling forward and midterms on the horizon, the “exposure” may cut deeper than jokes. In a fractured media landscape, one host’s monologue can topple more than punch lines — it can rattle a presidency built on spectacle. For now, the airwaves hum on, but the static of reprisal grows louder.