Presidents Trump, Obama react to ABC's Jimmy Kimmel decision

President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama responded Thursday, after Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night TV show was indefinitely suspended following backlash over his controversial comments about the assassination of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk.

At a joint news conference during Trump’s state visit to Britain with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, they were asked about the Kimmel suspension and whether free speech was under more attack in Britain or America.

Trump, Obama react to ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel decision

What they're saying:

"Well, Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else. And he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk," Trump said, adding, "And Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person. He had very bad ratings and they should have fired him a long time ago. So, you know, you can call that free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent. Yeah. Please go ahead."

On the social media platform X, Obama also responded to the Kimmel decision, stating, "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."

He added in a separate comment, "This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it."

Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show taken off air

The backstory:

Disney’s ABC said it would take Jimmy Kimmel‘s popular late-night show off its schedule "indefinitely" after one of the biggest owners of TV stations in the U.S., Nexstar Media, said it intended to pre-empt airings of the program following remarks the host made about Kirk.

Nexstar said Wednesday that it "strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets."

ABC soon announced that Kimmel would be taken off the air. It is unclear when or whether he would return. Kimmel has not commented publicly.

RELATED: FCC Chair Brendan Carr defends ABC affiliates pulling Jimmy Kimmel show

Later in the evening, the television company Sinclair said its stations would carry "a special in remembrance of Charlie Kirk" on Friday during Kimmel’s usual time slot. The company also asked Kimmel to apologize to Kirk’s family and donate money to Turning Point USA, the conservative group that Kirk turned into a political powerhouse.

Kimmel's remarks included references to the suspect's disputed political ideology. He suggested that conservatives were trying to deflect responsibility from "the MAGA gang" in connection with the arrest of 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, the suspect accused in Charlie Kirk’s killing.

Trump allies said Kimmel was falsely suggesting that the shooter was right wing. Authorities have not formally presented a motive for the killing, but evidence suggests that he may have held liberal beliefs. Gov. Spencer Cox, R-Utah, has said, "there clearly was a leftist ideology."

Hours before ABC’s decision, Brendan Carr, Trump’s handpicked head of the Federal Communications Commission, warned that the broadcaster and its local affiliates could face repercussions if Kimmel was not punished.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Carr said. "These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead."

The news of Kimmel's suspension broke after midnight in Britain, but Trump soon posted on Truth Social, his social media platform, to celebrate what he called "Great News for America."

"Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done," he wrote.

Then he said more dominoes should fall, calling for the cancellation of shows by Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers.

"Do it NBC!!!"