Exerting pressure on late-night television hosts

Trump significantly escalated his longtime feuds with late-night comedians in 2025, starting with his public celebration of Stephen Colbert’s canceled talk show.

In July, CBS announced that The Late Show With Stephen Colbert would not be renewed in May 2026 due to financial reasons. The network denied the decision had anything to do with the “show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”

Two weeks before the news dropped, CBS News’s parent company, Paramount Global, agreed to a $16 million settlement to resolve Trump’s lawsuit over edits made in a 60 Minutes interview that favored then-Vice President Kamala Harris before the 2024 election.

The public perception was that Paramount axed Colbert as a favor to Trump following the settlement, so that the Federal Communications Commission could approve the Paramount-Skydance merger. The deal was approved one week after Colbert’s cancellation, leading some to question the timing of events.

There is no evidence to suggest the fate of Colbert’s show had anything to do with Paramount’s settlement or merger. Nonetheless, Trump welcomed Colbert’s cancellation in a Truth Social post and teased that Jimmy Kimmel was “next.”

Fast forward to September, Kimmel was suspended by ABC and Nexstar for six days after making misleading remarks about the assassin of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk on air. The late-night television host suggested the alleged killer was associated with the “MAGA gang.”

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr held the view that Kimmel’s misleading comments possibly violated broadcasting standards, leading to the comedian’s brief suspension. His show was revived less than a week later and is now set to air until at least May 2027.

Kimmel and his show’s ratings have been repeatedly attacked by Trump on social media and in public, confirming he is one of the president’s least favorite late-night hosts. During the Kennedy Center Honors this month, Trump said Kimmel was not among the “great” late-night hosts, such as Johnny Carson and Bob Hope, and called him “horrible.”

The president has also called for NBC to fire Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, calling both “total losers.” Fallon attempted to bridge the gap between himself and conservatives by inviting Fox News host Greg Gutfeld as a show guest, but Meyers has been relentless in his criticism of conservatives and Trump.

Maintaining a cozy relationship with Paramount Skydance

Trump’s shadow over Hollywood can be seen in his strategically close relationship with Larry Ellison, whose son heads the newly merged Paramount Skydance studio.

David Ellison, who led Skydance for nearly 20 years before taking over Paramount, has been cordial with the White House ever since Trump’s FCC approved his company’s merger. The acquisition included a complete overhaul of CBS News, with the appointment of Bari Weiss as its editor-in-chief and the establishment of an independent ombudsman to review allegations about the outlet’s political bias.

Since the takeover, CBS interviewed Trump for a 60 Minutes episode that aired in November following their legal dispute.

While Trump appeared happy with the new leadership at Paramount and CBS at first, he slammed the network for platforming Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on 60 Minutes this month. Greene disagreed with the president on certain policy issues, particularly regarding Israel and the Jeffrey Epstein files, before tensions between them escalated last month. Trump engaged in personal attacks on social media and withdrew his endorsement of the Georgia Republican, who said his comments fueled death threats against her and her family. In response, Greene announced she would retire from Congress next month.

“My real problem with the show, however, wasn’t the low IQ traitor,” Trump said, referring to Greene. “It was that the new ownership of 60 Minutes, Paramount, would allow a show like this to air. THEY ARE NO BETTER THAN THE OLD OWNERSHIP, who just paid me millions of Dollars for FAKE REPORTING about your favorite President, ME! Since they bought it, 60 Minutes has actually gotten WORSE!”

Despite the kerfuffle between Paramount and Trump, David Ellison could possibly benefit from the president’s favor in seeking to outbid Netflix for the purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Netflix’s proposed acquisition of WBD is expected to face fierce antitrust scrutiny from the Department of Justice, putting the alternative bidder in an advantageous position. Paramount Skydance likely won’t face as much scrutiny on antitrust grounds because Netflix already dominates the streaming market. If it acquires WBD, Netflix would gain access to HBO Max and further solidify its place as the world’s leading streaming service.

Trump recently cast doubt on a possible Netflix-WBD merger, saying it could pose a “problem” because Netflix’s market share would increase substantially if the deal closes. He added that he will be involved in the process of approving the deal.

The president later said that he would personally like to see CNN get sold as part of the merger. “I wouldn’t want to see the same company end up with CNN,” he said of WBD. “Because I think the people that are running CNN right now are either corrupt or incompetent [with] decision-making.”

David Ellison reportedly told the Trump administration that he would make “sweeping changes” to CNN if his company took control, just like he did with CBS. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos similarly courted Trump ahead of his company’s bid, which doesn’t include CNN. Paramount Skydance is bidding for the entirety of WBD, while Netflix is only looking to buy WBD’s studio and streaming assets.

Working behind the scenes to get movies made

No stranger to entertainment, Trump has been able to get certain movies made in an unofficial capacity since his return to the White House.

A recent example is Trump’s request to jumpstart the production of Rush Hour 4. With his connection to David Ellison, the president reportedly asked Paramount Skydance to greenlight the latest entry in the buddy cop action-comedy franchise. The studio is set to distribute the movie, with director Brett Ratner and actors Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker returning.

Semafor reported that Trump, a big fan of the Rush Hour franchise, has been offering creative input on certain projects and wishes to bring back the hit comedies and action flicks of the 1980s and 1990s. While Trump hasn’t publicly commented on his role in reviving Rush Hour, White House communications director Steven Cheung made a post in celebration of the news.

Another movie that demonstrates Trump’s ability to leverage his Hollywood connections is his wife’s upcoming documentary. Melania is set to release theatrically in January, before it hits streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Incidentally, the first lady’s documentary was filmed by the director of all three Rush Hour films.

WHAT A NETFLIX-WBD MERGER WOULD MEAN FOR MOVIE THEATERS

First lady Melania Trump has launched a new production company, called Muse Films, that will debut with her eponymous documentary. The project is said to give viewers a behind-the-scenes look into her life leading up to her husband’s second presidential inauguration.

The president was reportedly involved in helping set up the $40 million deal with Amazon, and Melania Trump pitched the documentary idea to her agent after releasing her 2024 memoir of the same name. She serves as an executive producer on the project.