Karoline Leavitt Shreds Obama After His Comments About Kimmel!

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt ignited headlines this weekend after fiercely criticizing former President Barack Obama’s remarks on the controversy surrounding Jimmy Kimmel’s sudden removal from late-night television. Appearing on Saturday in America, the new Fox News program hosted by Kayleigh McEnany, Leavitt accused Obama of being “clueless” about the real reasons behind the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live.

The clash began on Thursday when Obama posted a lengthy statement to X condemning what he characterized as a dangerous abuse of government influence. “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like,” Obama wrote. He warned that this kind of pressure was exactly what the First Amendment was designed to prevent. “Media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it,” he added.

The former president’s comments quickly went viral, prompting a heated response from Leavitt. Speaking to McEnany, she dismissed his claims outright. “With all due respect to former President Obama, he has no idea what he’s talking about,” she said, visibly frustrated. “The decision to fire Jimmy Kimmel and to cancel his show came from executives at ABC, not from the White House.”

Leavitt went further, insisting there was no political interference whatsoever in the network’s decision. “President Trump never pressured ABC to take this action,” she explained. “And how do I know that, Kayleigh? Because I was with the President when this news broke in the United Kingdom.” According to Leavitt, she herself delivered the news to Trump while they were abroad. “At the time, the president had no idea this was happening. The notion that the White House had a hand in it is just false.”

Instead, Leavitt argued that Kimmel had sealed his own fate by deliberately misleading his audience during a period of national mourning. “It was a decision that was made by ABC because Jimmy Kimmel chose to knowingly lie to his viewers about the death of a highly respected man,” she said. “When our country is grieving, to spread falsehoods on national television is not only irresponsible, it’s reckless. That was a decision he made, and he is now facing the consequences.”

Her remarks came just one day after Disney, ABC’s parent company, confirmed to Fox News Digital that Jimmy Kimmel Live had been suspended indefinitely. Executives cited internal concerns over comments Kimmel made regarding the alleged assassin of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The suspension immediately drew strong reactions from across the political spectrum, as critics debated whether it was a matter of free speech or corporate accountability.

Adding to the fallout, Nexstar Media Group announced it would preempt the program on its ABC affiliates “for the foreseeable future.” The company, which owns hundreds of local stations nationwide, issued a statement describing Kimmel’s comments as incompatible with the standards of their programming. Sinclair Broadcast Group, another major player in local broadcasting, followed suit by declaring that it, too, would pull Kimmel’s show from its lineup.

For Obama, these developments represented what he saw as a broader trend of government intimidation. Though he did not provide evidence, his warning implied that corporate media had grown too comfortable bowing to political leaders. For Leavitt, however, that interpretation could not have been more wrong. To her, the decision was purely a business matter. “This wasn’t about politics. It wasn’t about Trump. It was about a network executive team responding to a host who crossed a line,” she emphasized.

The controversy over Kimmel’s suspension has become the latest flashpoint in the ongoing national debate over cancel culture, free expression, and the role of corporations in policing speech. Supporters of the suspension argue that networks have a responsibility to maintain credibility, especially during moments of crisis. Detractors claim the punishment is excessive and plays into a dangerous culture of silencing dissenting voices.

Leavitt positioned herself squarely in the former camp, portraying ABC’s move as a logical response to what she called Kimmel’s betrayal of his audience’s trust. “When you knowingly spread misinformation about a tragic death, you forfeit the privilege of holding a national platform,” she insisted. “That’s not censorship. That’s accountability.”

Her sharp comments also reflect the Trump administration’s broader strategy of aggressively pushing back against accusations of media manipulation. In the wake of Obama’s post, Trump allies have gone on the offensive, arguing that Democrats have no credibility on the issue of free speech. “They spent years cheering on deplatforming and canceling conservatives,” one aide told reporters, “and now they’re pretending to be defenders of the First Amendment.”

The wider political landscape further complicates the issue. For Democrats, the suspension of Kimmel—a comedian often sympathetic to their causes—looks like a chilling warning of what could happen to other media figures. For Republicans, the decision represents a rare example of a liberal commentator being held accountable, something they argue conservatives have endured for years.

Meanwhile, the entertainment industry itself is reeling. Jimmy Kimmel Live has been a late-night staple since 2003, known for its celebrity interviews, comedy sketches, and Kimmel’s willingness to blend humor with political commentary. An indefinite suspension not only disrupts the network’s lineup but also raises questions about whether the show, or Kimmel himself, can recover from the controversy. Industry analysts note that advertisers and affiliates play a critical role in these decisions, and once confidence is shaken, rebuilding trust can take years.

As the debate intensifies, Leavitt’s confrontation with Obama highlights a fundamental divide in how Americans interpret events like this. One side sees creeping authoritarianism and government intimidation, while the other sees private companies exercising their right to enforce standards. The truth may lie somewhere in between, but the optics ensure that the argument will continue to dominate headlines.

For now, Leavitt has made it clear that the White House will not accept blame for what happened. “The former president is wrong, plain and simple,” she told McEnany. “ABC made this decision. Jimmy Kimmel is responsible for Jimmy Kimmel. And President Trump was as surprised by the news as anyone else.”

Whether this explanation is enough to calm public concern remains uncertain. What is clear is that the fallout from Kimmel’s suspension has already grown far beyond one late-night program, becoming a symbol in the larger battle over speech, media, and politics in America.