Donald Trump says Jimmy Kimmel was fired for “Lack of Talent”, Elon Musk calls the host “Disgusting”

Donald Trump, Jimmy Kimmel, Elon Musk

Donald Trump has waded back into controversy, this time over Jimmy Kimmel’s abrupt removal from late-night television. Standing beside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at a press conference in London, Trump flatly declared that Jimmy Kimmel was “fired because of bad ratings more than anything else,” not because of free speech.

“Kimmel is not a talented person, he has very bad ratings more than anything else and they should have fired him a long time ago,” Trump said, throwing in a jab that drew murmurs from the press room.

“You can call that free speech or not, he was fired for lack of talent.” Trump made similar remarks yesterday on his Truth Social platform.

The former U.S. President’s remarks followed Kimmel being “pulled indefinitely” by ABC, not formally fired, after his controversial comments on conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead last week.

Elon Musk Joins the Pile-On

Adding fuel to the fire, Elon Musk didn't hold back, replying to a tweet, The Tesla and X CEO wrote bluntly: “Jimmy Kimmel is disgusting.”

Jimmy Kimmel is disgusting

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 17, 2025

It’s hardly Musk’s first feud with Hollywood, but his post quickly lit up timelines, sparking thousands of responses from both critics and supporters of the embattled late-night host.

The Free Speech Angle

For Trump, though, the Kimmel saga was folded into a bigger theme: his push for “a movement to defend the glorious traditions of freedom of speech on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Pressed on whether free speech was safer in the U.S. or UK, Trump doubled down: “You can call that free speech or not, he was fired for lack of talent.”

He pointed to Kirk’s death—calling him “a great young man with an incredible future”—as proof of what’s at stake. “Just last week, an American was assassinated for speaking his mind. He was a great young man with an incredible future. I hope together our nations can lead a movement to defend the glorious traditions of freedom of speech on both sides of the Atlantic.”

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Trump added that “many British citizens have offered condolences,” including Starmer, and he will attend a memorial service for Kirk this Sunday.

Kimmel Pulled Before an Apology

The late-night host, who had blasted MAGA supporters on-air for “trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” was scheduled to walk back or clarify the remarks the next night. ABC, however, yanked him before he could.

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“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said on his show.

That decision, critics say, underscores growing unease around free expression on U.S. network television, especially after Disney and Paramount’s settlements with Trump and the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s show.