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Jimmy Kimmel’s firing is about Trump exacting revenge

September 22, 2025 | View in browser

By Kevinisha Walker

Multiplatform Editor, Newsletters

Good morning. Here's what you need to know to start your Monday.

The Jimmy Kimmel vs. Donald Trump beef goes way back.
Wildfire smoke could become America's leading climate health threat by 2050.
A growing number of LGBTQ+ candidates are running for office.
And here's today's e-newspaper.

Jimmy Kimmel's firing was a long time coming

Side-by-side images of Jimmy Kimmel and Donald Trump

It's only been five days since "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" was pulled from the air indefinitely after the late-night host made remarks about slain right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

But giving Kimmel the boot has been years in the making for President Trump, according to my colleagues Stephen Battaglio and Meg James. The president, along with his Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, seems to have successfully intimidated the owners of broadcast TV stations in a way we've never seen before.

First, it was Paramount Global's agreement to pay $16 million to settle Trump's legal battle against CBS News over the editing of a "60 Minutes" interview with his 2024 opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

Then the president extracted a $15-million settlement from ABC in a defamation lawsuit over George Stephanopoulos' inaccurate on-air statement that Trump had been found civilly liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s.

Kimmel's firing appears to be tied to Nexstar Media Group — which controls 32 ABC affiliates — needing FCC approval for its proposed $6.2-billion acquisition of rival station operator Tegna.

That the intimidation tactics spread to late-night TV is unsurprising given that commentary on the Trump administration in that time slot has long been a source of tension.

First Colbert, then Kimmel

Before Kimmel's ouster, CBS announced in July that "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" would end in May, with sources citing financial losses. Just days earlier, Colbert had blasted Paramount's settlement with Trump, calling it a bribe.

As Stephen and Meg wrote, it's extremely rare for networks to drop a show in response to political pressure. But in the Trump era of cancel culture, anything goes.

Trump celebrated the cancellation of Colbert's "The Late Show" and called for even more late-night hosts to be axed.

"I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!"

The Kimmel vs. Trump beef goes way back

Kimmel found himself in hot water last week when he seemed to suggest during a monologue on his show that the Utah man accused in Charlie Kirk's killing might have been a pro-Trump Republican.

He said MAGA supporters were "desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it."

Tensions between the president and late-night host, however, date back to 2017, Stephen and Meg note, when Trump first moved into the White House and Kimmel poked fun at the new president from the Oscars stage.

Their rift widened during last year's Oscars telecast when Trump posted a harsh review of Kimmel on Truth Social in real time, asking whether there had ever been a worse emcee.

Kimmel responded during the telecast by looking at the camera and saying: "Thank you for watching. I'm surprised you're still — isn't it past your jail time?"

Could 'The View' be next?

Just as Trump has called for Kimmel's firing, he's frequently gone after another ABC staple: "The View."

Trump blasted the show during a campaign rally last year. "So I watched that stupid 'View' where you have these really dumb people," Trump told the large crowd, which responded with boos.

The daytime talk show hosts' response was blistering, leaning in to crimes the president has been accused of. It was in sharp contrast to last week's hush on "The View" about the Kimmel controversy.

My colleague Greg Braxton pointed out that the signature "Hot Topics" segment, which frequently blasts Trump, had gone cold as speculation escalated that the Trump administration was considering taking action against "The View."

The FCC chairman has indicated that the show might be investigated to see whether it qualifies as a "bona fide news program," which would exempt it from the agency's equal time rule.

The week's biggest stories

ICE offers big bucks — but California police officers prove tough to poach

The Trump administration is offering hefty signing bonuses, student loan forgiveness and six-figure salaries to recruit ICE officers.
But despite the generous compensation packages, experts said ICE was still coming up short in some of the places it needed agents the most.
Although ICE pays far more in California than in most other states, cash alone is less likely to induce many local cops to swap their dress blues for fatigues and a neck gaiter.

L.A. wildfire cleanup was fast. Some worry officials chose speed over safety

Federal agencies say the L.A. wildfire cleanup was an unprecedented success, with nearly 9,700 properties cleared in eight months.
But critics worry workers sacrificed safety for the sake of speed, with a significant number of supposedly cleaned properties still containing elevated levels of lead.
Property owners now face costly soil testing and possible remediation before rebuilding on potentially contaminated land.

LGBTQ+ candidates step up amid threats to queer rights

A growing number of LGBTQ+ candidates are running for office at a time when many on the right and in the Trump administration are working aggressively to push queer people out of the American mainstream.
They say they are running to counter that effort but also to resist other administration policies that they believe threaten democracy and equality more broadly, to advocate around local issues that are important to them and their neighbors.
Candidates say they are aware of the risks of running for office at such a volatile political moment.

What else is going on

Authorities were searching for a man they said beat his ex-roommate's dog to death in a West Hollywood apartment.
Jimmy Kimmel celebrated Hollywood Boulevard's wacky character. Locals fear life without him.
Can one of L.A.'s tallest towers survive a huge quake? L.A. County won't tell the public what its report found.
Wildfire smoke could become America's leading climate health threat by 2050.

Commentary and opinions

Here's why the redistricting fight is raging. And why it may be moot, argues columnist Mark Z. Barabak.
We need more champions for the powerless like John Burton, writes columnist George Skelton.

This morning's must read

Another must read

In a race back to the moon, the U.S. and China see a fast-approaching finish line.

Keep up with California

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For your downtime

Going out

Olympics 2028: Here's a guide to flights, hotels and tickets — and scoring the best deals.
Museums: An exhibition of powerful "lynching" pictures at the USC Fisher Museum of Art exposes America's dark past — and today's turmoil.
Comedy: The Pupusas and Punchlines comedy show gives Latin comics a space to connect.

Staying in

Television: Cristela Alonzo's new Netflix special, "Upper Classy," redefines the American Dream.
Books: Like Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar," Patricia Lockwood's latest book draws on her own fevered struggles with illness — in her case with the long tail of COVID.
Recipes: Here are 8 cookie recipes to get you in the holiday (bake-off) mood.
✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.

And finally ... your photo of the day

Today's great photo, from Times photographer Juliana Yamada, was taken at the Silver Lake home of an L.A. producer, writer and director who installed a video store in his kitchen with more than 250 titles.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Jim Rainey, staff reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.

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Magnitude 4.3 earthquake wakes San Francisco Bay Area

September 22, 2025 | View in browser

Map showing epicenter of Sept. 22, 2025 earthquake, centered in Berkeley.

Magnitude 4.3 earthquake wakes San Francisco Bay Area; centered in Berkeley

An earthquake strong enough to awaken people across the region, occurred Monday at 2:56 a.m. and was estimated at a magnitude 4.3, centered in Berkeley. Monday's earthquake was felt as far away as Santa Rosa to Santa Cruz.

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We need more champions for the powerless like John Burton

September 22, 2025 | View in browser

By George Skelton

Capitol Journal Columnist

John Burton was the unique sort of political leader we need much more of in today's hate-spewing politics.

First, he dedicated his life to fighting for a cause that earned him only personal satisfaction and absolutely no political gain: the powerless poor, particularly the aged, blind and disabled.

These aren't folks with any money to donate to political coffers. They're not members of unions harboring large piles of campaign cash. They don't volunteer to walk precincts before elections. Many can barely walk. They're not organized. More likely they live lonely lives. And they never heard of John Burton.

Burton — and only Burton — had these peoples' backs in Sacramento's halls of power for many years. And no one has taken his place.

Second, this bleeding-heart San Francisco liberal instinctively liked and befriended many political opposites with whom he developed working relationships to achieve his and their goals. He'd loudly denounce their conservative positions on issues but not them personally — in contrast to today's ugly, click-driven, opportunistic American politics.

Right-wingers? "I never held that against anybody," Burton writes in his recently released autobiography, "I Yell Because I Care: The Passion and Politics of John Burton, California's Liberal Warrior."

"Like, you never know when you might need a right-winger for something. And when you do, it's best to give them something in return. And it's even better when what they want is something you don't really care about. Sometimes, that's the way s— gets done in politics."

When it gets done, which is almost never these days in Congress. Things might get done in Sacramento — for good or bad — because Democrats wield ironclad control over all branches of government, unlike when Burton was a legislator during decades that required bipartisan compromise.

Burton was infamously foul-mouthed and often rude. But colleagues, staffers, lobbyists and reporters rolled their eyes and adjusted. OK, so you couldn't always quote his exact words in a family newspaper or on TV.

At heart, Burton was a softie and extrovert who genuinely liked people of all political persuasions. And they liked him because he was a straight shooter whose word was golden — the No. 1 asset for most anyone in politics.

Softie? Longtime Burton spokesman David Seback recalls this incident when the lawmaker was Senate president pro tem, the No. 2 most powerful office in the Capitol:

"There was a guy who was pretty severely disabled who would go with difficulty using crutches from office to office delivering copies of these multi-page conspiracy theory laden packets he put together to all 120 legislators. There were some typewritten parts, some handwritten, some xeroxed photos.

"One day John stopped him and said, 'From now on, you deliver one copy to my office.' After that, all the legislators got a copy of these packets stamped, 'Compliments of John Burton.'"

Most Capitol denizens — if they noticed him at all — probably dismissed this packet-carting conspiracy theorist on crutches as a sad kook. But he's the type who was Burton's purpose in life to help.

Burton, 92, died Sept. 7 at a hospice facility in San Francisco.

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The Times ran an excellent Page 1 obituary on Burton written by former Times staffer Dan Morain. It covered the bases well: A pro-labor lawmaker instrumental in shaping California politics over six decades on topics as varied as welfare, foster care, mental health, auto emissions and guns.

Burton was integral to a powerful political organization founded by his older brother, U.S. Rep. Phil Burton, that included two of John's closest pals: future San Francisco mayors George Moscone and Willie Brown. The organization kick-started the political careers of future U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

John Burton left Congress in 1982 to fight cocaine addiction and remained clean and sober the rest of his life. He was reelected to the Legislature in 1988, ultimately chosen as Senate leader and termed out in 2004. Then he became state Democratic Party chairman for the second time.

When Burton died, I was recovering from an illness and missed out writing about him. That bothered me. So I'm doing it now.

I got to know Burton when he was first elected to the Assembly with Willie Brown in 1964. Both were fast learners about how the Capitol worked and ultimately each was elected leader of his house.

"Sometimes all it takes to succeed in politics is to make sure somebody has a nice view of Capitol Park and an extra secretary," Burton writes in his autobiography of rounding up enough of Senate votes to become leader.

In the entertaining book, co-written with journalist Andy Furillo, Burton writes extensively about "the neediest of the needy…. My district included a ton of single-room occupancy hotels south of Market Street that were filled with people who cooked off hot plates and had to go down the hall to the bathroom. They survived on their federal and state assistance checks."

Governors and legislative leaders of both parties routinely ripped off these poor folks' federal aid increases to help balance the state budget in tough economic times. Or they'd try to until Burton blocked them.

"For some people," Burton once told me, "it can be the difference between tuna fish and cat food for lunch."

Without calling up local TV — as most politicians would — Burton bought blankets and drove around San Francisco by himself handing them out to the homeless.

"We were brought up to be that way," Burton told me. "My old man [a doctor], he'd do house calls in the Fillmore, a Black area, at 2 in the morning. And if the family looked like it didn't have money, he'd say, 'Forget it. Go buy the kid a pair of shoes.'"

Thanks to Burton, the state was forced into buying lots of tuna fish lunches for the neediest of the needy.

What else you should be reading

The must-read: 'We're not North Korea.' Newsom signs bills to limit immigration raids at schools and unmask federal agents
The TK: Here's why the redistricting fight is raging. And why it may be moot
The L.A. Times Special: Don't hold your breath, but as raids stifle economy, Trump proves case for immigration reform

Until next week,
George Skelton

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Jimmy Kimmel’s firing is about Trump exacting revenge