Trump
Liam O'Dell
Sep 20, 2025
Stephen Colbert defends Jimmy Kimmel as ABC suspends his show
The Late Show
Late night talk show host Stephen Colbert, who had his programme cancelled days after criticising Paramount’s settlement with US president Donald Trump (bosses insist it was a “purely financial decision”), has thrown his support behind fellow presenter Jimmy Kimmel with an “amazing” skit aimed at the Potus.
Kimmel became the latest broadcaster to have his show cut by TV executives this week, with ABC saying it was being “pre-empted indefinitely” days after the comedian criticised the MAGA movement for its response to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last week.
And now Colbert, who took another swipe at Paramount after his show’s cancellation, has backed Kimmel with his own take on a classic song by Disney, which owns the network behind Jimmy Kimmel Live, ABC.
In a parody of “Be Our Guest” from the 1991 animated film Beauty and the Beast, Lumiere instead sings “shut your trap” while sporting a red MAGA cap (rhyme not intended).
The character sings: “Shut your trap / Shut your trap / We are warning you to cut the crap / Our dear leader’s skin is thinner than a sheet of plastic wrap.
“Mum’s the word / Have you heard / Kissing a** is what’s preferred.
“The new rule at ABC / Don’t make fun of Donny T / And don’t point out that his neck is mostly flap.
“So don’t you make a scene / Or mention Jeff Epstein / Or your show will be scrapped / Shut your trap.”
Twitter/X users have since praised the gag:
With one calling it “the best clapback” to the suspension of Kimmel’s show yet:
Another declared that “late-night resistance is alive”:
Progressive platform Call to Activism branded the video a “must watch” and added that “Trump ain’t sleeping tonight”:
Kimmel is yet to comment publicly on his show’s suspension.
Why not read…
- Colbert rallies behind Kimmel after ‘blatant assault on free speech’
- Watch Jon Stewart’s dig at Trump after Kimmel taken off-air
Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter
How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel
Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
Top 100
The Conversation (0)














