Former Vice President Kamala Harris claimed Jimmy Kimmel was briefly suspended because President Donald Trump "couldn’t take a joke" during a speech Saturday night.
Harris gave the keynote address at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Phoenix Awards Gala, where the current president was a predominant topic. Although Harris did not mention Trump by name, she repeatedly referenced "the president" and suggested it was his "fragile ego" that was behind the ABC late-night host’s temporary suspension.
"When a president with a fragile ego couldn’t take the joke and brought down the weight of the federal government to silence the voice of a citizen, folks spoke with their pocketbooks this week, and Jimmy Kimmel is now back on the air," Harris said.
Jimmy Kimmel was suspended after making controversial comments related to Charlie Kirk's alleged assassin. (David Russell/Disney via Getty Images)
Kimmel came under fire two weeks ago after he suggested on his show that right-wing critics were hitting "new lows" trying to frame Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin as someone other than a member of the "MAGA gang," despite authorities already confirming the suspect’s leftist ideology.
"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.
TRUMP SAYS JIMMY KIMMEL PULLED OFF AIR DUE TO 'LACK OF TALENT'
Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks onstage during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation annual Legislative Conference Phoenix Awards dinner at Walter E. Washington Convention Center on September 27, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Congressional Black Caucus Foundation)
As a result, broadcasting companies Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group preempted the show from its ABC affiliates over what they believed were "ill-timed" and "insensitive" comments. Disney suspended the show shortly afterward, only to bring the show back the following Tuesday.
Several media commentators and Democratic politicians have similarly blamed Trump for Kimmel’s suspension after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr issued a veiled threat against the show for his original comments.
JIMMY KIMMEL IN LATE-NIGHT RETURN SLAMS FCC CHAIR FOR FREE SPEECH PIVOT
Former Vice President Kamala Harris repeatedly called out President Donald Trump during her speech to the Congressional Black Caucus. (Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
During her speech, Harris also emphasized the importance of winning the 2026 midterm elections to push back on an "unchecked, incompetent, unhinged president."
"You are the leaders who are up for the fight. You are leaders who have courage," Harris said to the crowd. "You are leaders who speak truth, leaders who know that at a time such as this, it demands one thing for sure: we must fight fire with fire."