De Niro’s Mafioso FCC Skit on Kimmel Ignites Trump’s Late-Night Fury, Sparking Free Speech Firestorm

By James Poniewozik and Michael M. Grynbaum Washington — Dec. 1, 2025

President Donald J. Trump, whose second term has escalated into a relentless crusade against late-night television, detonated in rage on Sunday after Robert De Niro made a surprise cameo on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” portraying a thuggish, profanity-laced version of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr in a biting parody of the administration’s media crackdown. The four-minute sketch, part of Mr. Kimmel’s triumphant return to ABC after a contentious suspension, framed Mr. Trump’s FCC as a mob racket stifling dissent, drawing roars from the studio audience and immediate backlash from Mar-a-Lago. Mr. Trump’s Truth Social tirade — labeling the duo “degenerate Hollywood scum” and vowing to “bury Kimmel and his thug pal De Niro” — has plunged the White House into meltdown mode, with aides scrambling to blunt a boycott wave from conservative affiliates and a surge in Democratic calls for FCC oversight hearings. As the clip amassed 15 million views overnight, the on-air takedown has crystallized fears of a chilling effect on comedy, turning a comeback special into a national referendum on free speech under Mr. Trump.

The episode capped a turbulent week for Mr. Kimmel, 57, whose show was yanked off air last Wednesday amid uproar over a monologue linking MAGA rhetoric to the assassination of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk. FCC Chairman Mr. Carr, a Trump appointee, had warned ABC affiliates of “consequences” for airing the segment, prompting Nexstar Media Group — which owns dozens of stations — to preempt episodes and Disney to impose an “indefinite” suspension. Mr. Trump amplified the pressure on Truth Social, crowing: “Kimmel’s trash ratings finally catch up — FIRED!” The move drew rare solidarity from late-night peers: Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon dedicated airtime to defenses of Mr. Kimmel, while a Hollywood open letter signed by over 200 stars, including Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey, decried the “Mafia-style intimidation.” Mr. Kimmel returned Tuesday with a 20-minute monologue blending defiance and vulnerability, vowing: “I won’t apologize for speaking truth — even if it costs me the desk.”

Enter Mr. De Niro, 82, the Oscar-winning actor and arch-Trump critic whose 2018 Tony Awards rant — “F— Trump!” — became a MAGA bogeyman. Teased as an interview with Mr. Carr, the bit opened with Mr. De Niro on a split-screen call, barking into a phone: “You tell Whoopi over there she better show a little respect, or the only view she’s getting is from under George Washington — the bridge, not the guy.” Posing as the “new” FCC chair — a nod to Mr. Carr’s podcast threat: “We can do this the easy way or the hard way” — Mr. De Niro’s gravelly mafioso drawl evoked “Goodfellas” and “The Irishman,” channeling Mr. Trump’s Atlantic City days. “What the f— did you just say to me? I am the f—ing FCC. I can f—ing say whatever the f— I want,” he snarled when Mr. Kimmel accused the agency of “mob tactics.” The punchlines escalated: Free speech “ain’t free no more — we’re charging by the word,” with an Epstein joke costing “a couple of fingers, maybe a tooth.” Mr. De Niro capped it with a chilling warning: “I’ll be watching you, Kimmel — maybe not on ABC, but that’s up to you. Capisce?” The audience erupted, and the clip, laced with bleeps, trended under #DeNiroFCC, blending laughs with unease over Mr. Trump’s regulatory hammer.

Mr. Trump’s eruption hit at 1:23 a.m. Sunday, a 600-word screed viewed 28 million times: “De Niro the washed-up has-been and Kimmel the low-rated LOSER team up for their DIRTY Trump hit job — PATHETIC! FCC is CLEANING UP the swamp of fake news clowns. De Niro couldn’t act his way out of a paper bag; Kimmel couldn’t host a PTA meeting. CANCEL THEM BOTH — America’s had enough!” At Mar-a-Lago, the post-Thanksgiving brunch turned tense: Mr. Trump, flanked by family, reportedly hurled a phone across the terrace, dictating follow-ups to his social media aide while Chief of Staff Susie Wiles fielded calls from rattled donors. “He’s apoplectic — De Niro’s a trigger, like the Tonys all over again,” one communications official said anonymously. By dawn, the White House had fired off a formal complaint to ABC, citing “indecent content” and demanding Mr. Kimmel’s permanent benching, while Mr. Trump reposted MAGA calls to #BoycottDisney.

The meltdown has amplified a broader assault on late-night TV, Mr. Trump’s perennial foe. Since January, his administration has targeted shows via FCC probes: CBS axed “The Late Show” in July over a border skit; Mr. Meyers faced a two-week hiatus in October for Ukraine jabs. Mr. De Niro’s cameo, timed amid Epstein file leaks tying Mr. Trump to the financier, struck a nerve — the actor’s character quipped about fining Epstein gags, echoing Mr. Kimmel’s prior suspension for related jokes. “This isn’t comedy; it’s conspiracy,” Mr. Trump posted later, linking it to a viral X thread from @CanPatriot2022 accusing Mr. De Niro and Hollywood elites of Epstein ties — a claim debunked but amplified by 500,000 views.

Broadcasters and comics rallied. Disney CEO Bob Iger, facing a 10 percent stock dip from Nexstar threats, defended the sketch as “protected satire,” while a coalition of networks petitioned Congress for FCC reform. Late-night allies amplified: Mr. Colbert, now podcast-only, tweeted: “De Niro as Carr? Oscar-worthy — Trump’s meltdown? Emmy bait.” Mr. Fallon dedicated his monologue to the duo: “Bob, teach me that accent — I need it for my Trump impression… oh wait, he’s got the real one covered.” Mr. Kimmel, taping Friday, looped in: “De Niro didn’t destroy Trump — he just reminded us who the real wise guy is.”

On Capitol Hill, the fury transcended parties. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., introduced a “Free Speech Shield Act” co-sponsored by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., blasting Mr. Carr’s “thuggish overreach.” Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., subpoenaed the FCC for Kimmel suspension records, with hearings set for December. Even Republicans wavered: Sen. Susan Collins, R-Me., called the parody “sharp but fair,” while Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told Fox: “Trump’s fighting the right fight, but De Niro? That’s low-hanging fruit — focus on China.” A bipartisan poll from Quinnipiac showed 58 percent viewing the FCC threats as “abuse of power,” with independents souring on Mr. Trump by 7 points.

For Mr. De Niro, the bit is vintage provocation. A vocal Trump foe since 2016 — “I’d like to punch him in the face” at a 2018 rally — he’s channeled disdain into roles like “The Killers of the Flower Moon,” earning a third Oscar nod. “Comedy’s our last line — Trump can’t censor guts,” he told Variety post-taping. Mr. Kimmel’s ratings spiked 35 percent to 2.8 million, but risks linger: Advertiser pullouts from Family Research Council boycotts threaten $8 million, and Mr. Carr’s probe could extend to NBC and CBS.

Historians frame the clash as a high-wire act in media-presidency wars, from Nixon’s “enemies list” to Reagan’s charm. “Trump built his empire on TV; now it’s his kryptonite — De Niro and Kimmel aren’t just mocking; they’re mirroring his vulnerabilities,” said Kathryn Cramer Brownell, a Purdue media historian. On X, #DeNiroDestroysTrump surged with 4.1 million mentions, from MAGA memes of Mr. De Niro as a “Hollywood pedo” (echoing debunked Epstein smears) to viral clips captioned “Capisce, Don?”

As Sunday waned, Mr. Trump golfed amid the din, posting: “De Niro flop — box office poison! Kimmel’s done.” Yet with midterms looming and free speech as a flashpoint, the showdown endures. In a fractured airwave, one sketch’s meltdown isn’t cancellation — it’s coronation: Late-night, unbowed, turns Trump’s fury into fuel.