President Donald Trump has called on NBC to fire Seth Meyers, after being made the subject of multiple roasts on the host’s late-night show.
Newsweek has contacted a representative for Meyers via an online contact form and NBC via email outside of regular working hours for comment.
Why It Matters
Trump’s remarks come at a pivotal moment for the late-night television landscape. Hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert have faced suspension and cancellation, respectively, and the president has regularly made public criticisms over what they say on their shows, including having called Meyers a “deranged lunatic.”
These attacks have highlighted the increasingly fraught relationship between politics and entertainment, and concerns about freedom of speech.
What To Know
Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that Meyers was “suffering from an incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” and that he was in an “uncontrollable rage” on his show.
“Meyers has no talent, and NBC should fire him, IMMEDIATELY!” the president wrote.
Meyers has repeatedly joked at the president’s expense in monologues on his show in the past week, something which is not uncommon for late-night hosts to do.
He has made barbs about the president’s plans for health care, the government shutdown, Trump’s plans for a 50-year mortgage, a dinner with finance executives, and the ensuing controversy over the files pertaining to the disgraced financier and sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.
This week, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released three emails referencing Trump that were sent by Epstein.
Trump responded to this in a post on Truth Social, where he wrote, “The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again because they’ll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the Shutdown, and so many other subjects. Only a very bad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap.”
Trump has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes and has said he ended their relationship years ago.
Meyers made multiple jokes about Trump and Epstein over the week. Beyond the jokes he made about the president, he also poked fun at Democrats such as Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Beyond the publication of the emails, the House of Representatives is set to hold a vote on releasing the Epstein files, which is set to take place this coming week, an earlier timeline than expected.
Brendan Carr, the federal communications commissioner, shared Trump’s post about Meyers on X. Carr had previously announced that he was investigating ABC over controversial remarks made by Kimmel following the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Kiimmel’s show was briefly pulled off the air, but it returned days later, following significant backlash.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump, in a post on Truth Social: “NBC’s Seth Meyers is suffering from an incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS). He was viewed last night in an uncontrollable rage, likely due to the fact that his ‘show’ is a Ratings DISASTER. Aside from everything else, Meyers has no talent, and NBC should fire him, IMMEDIATELY!”
Seth Meyers, speaking on his late-night show: “President Trump was set to hold a private dinner tonight at the White House, and the guest list reportedly included the CEOs of JP Morgan Chase, Nasdaq, Blackstone, BlackRock, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs. In a related story, Bernie Sanders exploded.”
Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said in a statement about the release of emails sent by Jeffrey Epstein, which reference President Donald Trump: “These stories are nothing more than bad-faith efforts to distract from President Trump’s historic accomplishments, and any American with common sense sees right through this hoax and clear distraction from the government opening back up again.”
What Happens Next?
Meyers has not publicly responded to Trump’s call for his firing, but he may well address it on his show, which airs weeknights at 12:35 a.m. ET on NBC.
