The White House is pushing back hard against Barack Obama after the former president suggested President Donald Trump’s administration was behind Jimmy Kimmel being taken off the air.
Obama claimed the move was political and accused Trump of escalating “cancel culture” to a “new and dangerous level.” He linked to a Vox article that alleged Kimmel was suspended because Trump “didn’t like what he had to say.”
Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, dismissed Obama’s comments. “With all due respect to former President Obama, he has no idea what he is talking about,” Leavitt told Fox News.
She made it clear that the White House had no involvement. “The decision to fire Jimmy Kimmel and to cancel his show came from executives at ABC. That has now been reported.”
ABC suspended Kimmel after comments he made about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. During his monologue, Kimmel suggested Kirk’s killer was a member of the “MAGA gang.”
The network’s decision followed pressure from Nexstar, a major broadcaster that carries “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on its affiliates. Nexstar announced it would no longer air the program after Kimmel’s remarks.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr also weighed in, as the New York Post reported.