Karoline Leavitt Busts Barack Obama for Spreading Misinformation About Kimmel Suspension [WATCH]

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed former President Barack Obama’s remarks on the suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” during an appearance Saturday on Fox News’ Saturday in America with host Kayleigh McEnany.

Obama posted Thursday on X that the suspension represented government coercion, writing, “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. 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.”

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. https://t.co/gOjqFnGv0I

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 18, 2025

Leavitt rejected the accusation, saying the White House had no involvement in the decision.

“With all due respect to former President Obama, he has no idea what he’s talking about,” Leavitt said.

“The decision to fire Jimmy Kimmel and to cancel his show came from executives at ABC.”

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She explained that President Donald Trump was not informed of the move until after it had been made, while traveling overseas.

“And how do I know that, Kayleigh? Because I was with the President when this news broke in the United Kingdom,” Leavitt stated.

“I was the one who broke the news to him, and at that time, the president had no idea this was happening.”

Leavitt said Kimmel’s suspension stemmed from comments made on air about the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

“It was a decision that was made by ABC because Jimmy Kimmel chose to knowingly lie to his audience on his program about the death of a highly respected man when our country is in a state of mourning. That was a decision that he made, and he is now facing a consequence for that decision and for that lie,” she told McEnany.

WH Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt obliterates former President Barack Obama after he claims the Trump administration “routinely threaten[s] regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.”

“With all due respect… pic.twitter.com/wQDHNZcBRV

— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) September 20, 2025

Disney, ABC’s parent company, confirmed to Fox News Digital on Wednesday that Kimmel’s show would be pulled “indefinitely.”

Nexstar Media Group, which operates ABC affiliates nationwide, announced in a press release that it would preempt Kimmel’s program “for the foreseeable future.”

Sinclair Broadcast Group also confirmed it would not carry the program.

“Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views or values of the local communities in which we are located,” Nexstar Broadcasting President Andrew Alford said in the statement.

The suspension followed Kimmel’s remarks on Monday accusing conservatives of reaching “new lows” in attributing left-wing ideology to 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, the suspect charged in Kirk’s assassination.

Prosecutors, however, reaffirmed Robinson’s ideological motivations in an indictment filed Tuesday.

Leavitt reiterated that while President Trump supported the outcome, it was not directed by his administration.

“The president is pleased with this decision,” she said, “but he had nothing to do with the show being pulled.”

She added that declining ratings likely factored into ABC’s move. “Jimmy Kimmel’s ratings were in the gutter,” she said.

The decision to remove Kimmel from the air comes at a time of heightened national attention following Kirk’s assassination and the political fallout from the late-night host’s commentary.

Executives at Disney, Nexstar, and Sinclair have emphasized that the decision was made internally by the networks, apart from any influence by the White House.

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