Trump Threatens To 'Test' Disney's ABC Out Over Jimmy Kimmel's Return: 'Yet Another Arm Of The DNC’

President Donald Trump lashed out at Walt Disney Co.'s ABC and hinted at another lawsuit late Tuesday after Jimmy Kimmel returned on air about a week after his show was suspended over the comedian's remarks on the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump accused the network of misleading the White House about Kimmel's status and claimed the late-night host amounts to a political asset for Democrats.

"I can't believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back," Trump wrote. "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 went on to call Kimmel "another arm of the DNC," alleging that the host's political jokes in favor of Democrats could qualify as an "illegal campaign contribution." He also threatened to "test ABC out on this," referencing a prior legal dispute where he claimed to have won $16 million. "This one sounds even more lucrative."

In December, ABC agreed to pay $16 million to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump over remarks made by anchor George Stephanopoulos, who had incorrectly stated on air that Trump had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll. In fact, Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting and defaming Carroll, but he has denied her allegations.

"Jimmy Kimmel Live!" returned to the air on Tuesday, a day after Disney confirmed the decision, and according to several media reports, Kimmel delivered an emotional monologue in which he called Trump's moves "anti-American."

Last week, the host remarked that the Republicans were trying to score political points off Kirk's murder and mocked Trump's reaction to the death as "how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish." That drew objection from several quarters, including Disney's partner TV networks, Nexstar and Sinclair, as well as a warning from U.S. Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr.

Several celebrity commentators also spoke out against ABC's decision to scrap the show, warning that it curbs free speech. At the same time, fans took to social media to raise calls for canceling Disney+ and the company's other subscriptions.

Meanwhile, Disney has decided to raise prices across its streaming services starting Oct. 21, to boost profits amid broader corporate pressures. Disney+ with ads will increase by 20% to $11.99 per month, while the ad-free Premium plan will rise by 19% to $18.99 per month or $189.99 per year. Bundled offerings with Hulu also see increases, with the ad-supported plan moving to $12.99 and the ad-free version to $19.99 a month.

Already having a less-than-ideal run this year, Disney shares have fallen over 3% since the start of last week, and Stocktwits sentiment has been 'extremely bearish' for the major part of that period.

In all, DIS stock has gained a mere 0.5% year-to-date.

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