According to Breitbart, Kimmel’s first jab came as he introduced the award for Best Documentary, turning what is typically a solemn tribute into a pointed shot at a major broadcast network. “We hear a lot about courage at shows like this but telling a story that could get you killed for telling it is real courage. As you know there are some countries whose leaders don’t support free speech. I’m not at liberty to say which. Let’s just leave it at North Korea and CBS,” he said, likening the network’s corporate decision-making to authoritarian censorship.
CBS announced last year that it would end Colbert’s “Late Show,” insisting the move was driven by economics rather than ideology or ratings. The network said in a statement, “We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire ‘The Late Show’ franchise in May of 2026,” adding, “We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television. This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”
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That corporate spin came just days after Colbert publicly blasted his own parent company’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump, deriding it as a “big, fat bribe” to grease the wheels for the Skydance merger. Critics of the cancellation argued that the timing made the network’s explanation suspect and claimed the move amounted to political retaliation dressed up as a balance-sheet adjustment.
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Kimmel, a reliable voice of Hollywood’s progressive wing, also used the Oscars stage to deride a documentary centered on First Lady Melania Trump. “Fortunately for all of us there’s an international community of filmmakers dedicated to telling the truth, oftentimes at great risk to make films that teach us, that call out injustice, that inspire us to take action, and there are also documentaries where you walk around the White House trying on shoes,” he said, trivializing a project focused on the life of a sitting First Lady.
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He then twisted the knife with a personal dig at President Trump, sneering, “Oh, man, is he going to be mad his wife wasn’t nominated for this.” For many viewers on the right, the joke underscored how Hollywood’s awards circuit has become a predictable venue for partisan shots at the President and his family rather than a celebration of artistic achievement.
Kimmel’s latest barbs come less than a year after Disney briefly suspended him for remarks tying the assassin of conservative activist Charlie Kirk to the MAGA movement, despite evidence the killer was influenced by left-wing ideologies. The suspension followed pressure from major broadcast affiliates Nexstar and Sinclair, which refused to air his show in their markets, with Nexstar calling Kimmel’s comments “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse,” and saying it wanted to “move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”
After his short time off the air, Kimmel returned insisting his words had been misunderstood and attempting to soften the fallout. “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” he said, later adding, “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it,” and reminding viewers, “I posted a message on Instagram the day he was killed, sending love to his family, and asking for compassion, and I meant it. I still do.”
