Newsmax host demanded FCC action on Jimmy Kimmel. Then Kimmel’s ruthless response made him instantly regret it

Newsmax host Rob Schmitt called on the FCC to take action against Jimmy Kimmel‘s show after Kimmel criticized President Trump’s SAVE Act. The act would require citizens to show documentary proof of US citizenship before voting. 

According to The Daily Beast, Schmitt responded on his Tuesday night show, saying, “Kimmel’s up there talking about [the SAVE act] like that on a comedy show on a federally regulated network.” He also said, “ABC breaks that law every single night, and it’s about time that they learned a lesson from that.” Schmitt then called Jimmy Kimmel Live! “propaganda” rather than a comedy show.

Kimmel fired back the very next night during his Wednesday monologue. “I think of it as a little of both, you know?” he said. He then called out Newsmax for the hypocrisy, saying, “Oh, they’re such tattletales. They’re so worried about cancel culture until I come on, and then they’re like, ‘Call the FCC! He’s breaking the law!’ How does this not embarrass them?”

Kimmel reminded everyone that Newsmax is literally paying off a $67 million settlement for spreading election lies

Kimmel then pointed to Newsmax’s own legal troubles, saying, “This channel he’s on, Newsmax: I don’t know if you see, they’re literally on a payment plan right now. They owe $67 million for spreading Trump’s election lies.” 

This was a reference to Newsmax’s August 2025 settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, which had sued Newsmax for pushing false claims that their machines rigged the 2020 election against Trump. Under the settlement, Newsmax paid Dominion $27 million in 2025, another $20 million in 2026, and still owes the remaining $20 million due in January 2027. 

“But we’re propaganda,” Kimmel joked, adding, “Newsmax is to the Trump administration what the Fearless Flyer is to Trader Joe’s.” Schmitt’s comments also come amid a broader pattern of pressure on TV networks. Trump-appointed FCC chairman Brendan Carr had already publicly appeared to push ABC to pull Kimmel’s show six months ago, and this wasn’t an isolated move; Trump himself had previously called for ABC to lose its broadcast licenses over a single question from a reporter. 

Carr had said, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” after Kimmel’s comments about a right-wing influencer caused backlash among Trump supporters. “These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

ABC did pull Kimmel’s show for several days but brought it back the following Tuesday after a strong backlash from viewers. The FCC also announced on January 21 that it might start enforcing the “equal time” rule for late-night TV, which would require hosts to “provide all candidates with equal opportunities” for airtime.

CBS chose to act on the rule before any enforcement began, blocking Stephen Colbert in February from airing an interview with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico. The FCC’s reach had already extended further at CBS, with reports of the Trump administration placing a bias monitor at CBS to oversee its coverage.

Colbert, whose show is permanently ending in May, released the full interview on YouTube instead and criticized CBS for the decision. “I am grateful to have worked for CBS for the last 11 years,” Colbert said. “I’m just so surprised that this giant global corporation would not stand up to these bullies.”