By Philip Elliott

Copyright time

While dining at Windsor Castle with the British Royal Family, President Donald Trump was demanding other networks similarly can their late-night hosts who use him as a punchline. “That leaves Jimmy [Fallon] and Seth [Meyers], two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!” Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Trump has been testing the limits of his power during this second term with abandon. Trump landed millions in cash from ABC and CBS for lawsuits seen as garbage by First Amendment lawyers. CBS agreed to change its interview presentations because Trump said editors protected 2024 Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. And he has sued newspapers for printing less-than-flattering accounts of his record.

If this all feels a little familiar, it should. In fact, Kimmel’s time slot on ABC freed up more than 20 years ago soon after another host got canceled for not hewing to the accepted script. Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect got targeted by advertisers and the White House itself in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks for criticizing U.S. foreign policy.