Trump outraged by Jimmy Kimmel's return: 'Let him rot in his bad ratings'

President Donald Trump reacted indignantly to the Walt Disney Company's decision to lift the sanction against Jimmy Kimmel on ABC News, who had been suspended following the huge controversy over the host's comments about the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

"I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled! Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his 'talent' was never there," Trump wrote on the Truth social network.

"Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE. He is yet another arm of the DNC and, to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major Illegal Campaign Contribution. I think we’re going to test ABC out on this. Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative. A true bunch of losers! Let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad Ratings," the president added.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the return of Kimmel's show came after the host met with Disney management on Monday. 

According to the report, after several internal conversations, the company decided to return Jimmy Kimmel Live! to the air, with Disney claiming to have had "thoughtful conversations with Jimmy."

Despite the go-ahead from Disney's board, Nexstar and Sinclair networks, which have more than 60 ABC affiliates, announced that they will continue to block the show from airing and replace it with informational programming until the host offers an apology to Kirk's family and makes a personal donation to the family and the organization founded by the conservative activist, Turning Point USA.

Faced with the whole situation, Kimmel broke his silence on Tuesday with a post on Instagram accompanied by a photo alongside screenwriter Norman Lear. The host wrote a brief but thought-provoking message from the onetime free speech advocate: "Missing this guy today."

The presenter's post was his first public manifestation since the program's suspension and the harsh criticism received.

The controversy began with a monologue by Kimmel in mid-September, where he linked sectors of the MAGA movement with coverage of Charlie Kirk's murder and mocked President Trump's mourning - a tone that was called offensive by Trump administration officials and conservative commentators.

Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), sharply criticized the statements and left open the possibility of reviewing broadcast licenses tied to the network, a pressure that critics of the Trump administration said was a factor in the program's temporary suspension on Sept. 17.

However, press reports revealed that the suspension was due more to market pressure, with advertisers and ABC affiliates raising their voices against Kimmel for his monologue and hostile attitude towards critics, as the host planned to further increase the tone and controversy by doubling down on his ultimately suspended show.