When Comedy Becomes a Threat: How Trump’s Obsession With Jimmy Kimmel and The View Reveals a Deeper Crisis

For years, Donald Trump has insisted that comedians are beneath him. He has dismissed them as untalented, irrelevant, or desperate for attention. And yet, no group appears to command more of his focus, more of his rage, or more of his late-night energy than them.

In recent months, that obsession has intensified—and nowhere is it more visible than in his fixation on two unlikely adversaries: Jimmy Kimmel and The View, particularly Joy Behar.

What may appear, at first glance, to be nothing more than a celebrity feud is in fact something far more revealing. It is a window into how power reacts when it is mocked, how authoritarian instincts surface when laughter becomes dangerous, and how comedy—often dismissed as trivial—can become one of the most effective forms of resistance.

A President Watching Late-Night Television at 1 A.M.

One of the strangest recurring details in this saga is timing.

Again and again, Trump’s attacks arrive in the early morning hours—12:49 a.m., 1:00 a.m., sometimes later—mere minutes after The View or Jimmy Kimmel Live finishes airing on the East Coast. The implication is unavoidable: the former president is watching these shows live.

That detail alone tells a story.

Here is a man who presents himself as dominant, decisive, and unbothered—yet he appears glued to television programs that openly mock him. He responds not with strategy or policy rebuttals, but with rage posts demanding firings, cancellations, and punishments.

It is not the behavior of someone confident in their authority. It is the behavior of someone deeply unsettled by ridicule.

The Pattern: Attack, Demand, Repeat

Trump’s reaction cycle has become predictable:

    A comedian criticizes or mocks him.

    Trump responds with an insult—often crude, personal, or exaggerated.

    He demands the comedian be taken off the air.

    Ratings go up.

    The comedian incorporates Trump’s meltdown into the next show.

This pattern has played out with Jimmy Kimmel countless times. Trump has called him talentless, accused him of poor ratings, and publicly pressured ABC to fire him—sometimes every few weeks, like clockwork.

Yet instead of disappearing, Kimmel’s influence has grown. Most notably, he recently signed a contract extension with ABC through May 2027, guaranteeing Trump at least two more years of late-night satire.

If Trump intended to silence him, the effect has been precisely the opposite.

Why Comedians Frighten Strongmen

Joy Behar articulated something crucial during one of The View’s most viral segments: autocrats go after comedians first.

History backs her up.

In Russia, Vladimir Putin moved swiftly to neutralize satirical television shows that mocked him. In Iran, comedians face censorship, arrest, or worse. In Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has prosecuted comedians for jokes deemed insulting.

The reason is simple: comedy bypasses propaganda.

A joke does not argue—it exposes. It does not lecture—it reveals. It reaches audiences emotionally before ideology has time to erect defenses. Laughter disarms fear, punctures grandeur, and turns power into something human—and therefore fallible.

For leaders who depend on myth, intimidation, or reverence, that is intolerable.

Joy Behar: A Longstanding Target

Jimmy Kimmel is not Trump’s only obsession. Joy Behar has been in his crosshairs for years.

He has demanded she be fired. He has insulted her personally. He has celebrated moments when ABC temporarily suspended other hosts, assuming she would be next.

And yet, Behar has remained—outspoken, relentless, and often blisteringly sharp in her criticism.

What makes Behar particularly threatening is not her humor alone, but her framing. She consistently places Trump’s behavior within historical context, drawing parallels to authoritarian leaders and warning about the erosion of democratic norms.

When Behar says something like, “People from Norway don’t want to come here because they don’t want to live under a dictatorship,” she is not just making a joke. She is reframing Trump’s narrative of strength as one of isolation and decline.

That is a far more dangerous critique than mockery alone.

MAGA Resignations and the Cracks Beneath the Surface

While Trump lashes out at comedians, another story unfolds in parallel: a growing wave of Republican resignations.

MAGA-aligned members of Congress, including figures like Troy Nehls, have announced they will not seek reelection—or may leave office early. Morale within Republican ranks, according to reporting from outlets like Punchbowl News, has collapsed.

Behind closed doors, GOP members describe a White House culture of threats, arrogance, and disregard. They complain of being treated “like garbage,” denied even small legislative victories, and pressured into compliance rather than collaboration.

This matters because it suggests Trump’s anger is not just performative—it may be rooted in genuine fear.

Fear of losing the House.
Fear of impeachment.
Fear of losing control over his own movement.

And fear often lashes out at the loudest mirrors.

Comedy as a Barometer of Power

One of the most revealing ironies in this saga is the inverse relationship between Trump’s attacks and his targets’ success.

Every time he demands Jimmy Kimmel be fired, Kimmel’s ratings rise. Every time he attacks The View, the show trends. Every time he calls them irrelevant, they become more culturally central.

In effect, Trump has become their most reliable promoter.

This phenomenon is not accidental. It reflects a deeper truth: when power feels secure, it ignores mockery. When it feels threatened, it tries to crush it.

Comedy has become a barometer. And right now, the pressure reading is high.

The Late-Night Presidency

Another disturbing dimension of this story is what it reveals about priorities.

Trump is facing legal challenges, political opposition, internal party dissent, and looming elections. And yet, he appears to devote enormous mental energy to tracking comedians, responding to jokes, and attacking television hosts by name.

This fixation undermines the image of a disciplined leader. It paints a picture of someone reactive, thin-skinned, and consumed by personal grievance.

As Joy Behar once quipped, if a neighbor behaved this way—issuing repeated threats every few weeks—a restraining order would be considered.

When the behavior comes from a former president, the implications are far more serious.

The Irony of Silencing Attempts

Perhaps the greatest irony in Trump’s crusade against comedians is that it validates their criticism.

By demanding firings, invoking regulatory threats, and celebrating censorship, he reinforces the very authoritarian tendencies they warn about.

When FCC officials hint that networks can “do things the easy way or the hard way,” critics do not need to exaggerate. The threat speaks for itself.

Freedom of speech does not collapse overnight. It erodes through pressure, intimidation, and normalized retaliation. Comedy often becomes the early warning system.

Why This Moment Matters

This is not just about Jimmy Kimmel.
It is not just about Joy Behar.
And it is certainly not just about ratings.

It is about whether public discourse can tolerate dissent wrapped in humor. It is about whether power can coexist with ridicule. And it is about whether citizens recognize attacks on comedians as what they often are: test runs.

Historically, when jokes become dangerous, something else has already gone wrong.

The Unintended Outcome

Despite every attempt to silence them, Kimmel and The View are thriving. Their audiences are growing. Their influence is expanding. Their critiques are sharper than ever.

Trump’s obsession has not diminished their power—it has amplified it.

In trying to crush laughter, he has handed it a megaphone.

Conclusion: The Strength of Being Mocked

Strong leaders endure satire.
Weak ones rage against it.

At this moment in American political culture, comedy is doing more than entertaining—it is documenting, resisting, and revealing. It is capturing contradictions in real time, often with more honesty than formal debate.

Jimmy Kimmel will be on the air through 2027.
The View is having one of its strongest seasons.
And Trump, despite his fury, keeps watching.

That may be the most telling detail of all.

Because if comedy truly did not matter—
he would not be afraid of it.