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President Donald Trump has said that he expects primetime talk show hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel to go off the air soon, following the cancellation of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" by CBS last week.
"The word is, and it's a strong word at that, Jimmy Kimmel is NEXT to go in the untalented Late Night Sweepstakes and, shortly thereafter, (Jimmy) Fallon will be gone," Trump said in a post on Truth Social late Tuesday.
"These are people with absolutely NO TALENT, who were paid Millions of Dollars for, in all cases, destroying what used to be GREAT Television. It's really good to see them go, and I hope I played a major part in it!"
Kimmel, who hosts "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on ABC, and Fallon, the host of "The Tonight Show" on NBC, have long sparred with the president. Kimmel recently had a spat with Trump through social media comments after Trump criticized the 2024 Oscars, which Kimmel hosted, as boring. Kimmel criticised Trump's immigration raids in Los Angeles last month.
Fallon reportedly joked that it felt like "America got back with a wild ex," after Trump's electoral win late last year.
The president's remarks followed news that CBS, part of Paramount Global (PARA), will end The Late Show in May next year. One of cable TV's top-rated primetime programs, it has been hosted for the past decade by Colbert, who frequently targeted Trump and his policies in his satire.
CBS attributed the decision to financial reasons, not ratings or content.
On his show Monday night, Colbert acknowledged the show's cancellation and said, "For the next 10 months, the gloves are off."
According to USA Today, Fallon's contract with NBCUniversal, which is a part of Comcast (CMCSA), will keep him at the network through 2028. Kimmel extended his contract with Walt Disney-owned (DIS) ABC in 2022 through his show's current 23rd season.
On Stocktwits, the retail sentiment was ‘bearish’ for Paramount and ‘bullish’ for Comcast, as of early Wednesday.
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