When ABC chose to preempt Jimmy Kimmel indefinitely, everyone on the left was rushing to chime in with their usual rhetoric, claiming censorship and lobbing false accusations against President Trump. One person who thought it would be a good idea to weigh in was probably the last person who should have: Barack Obama.
‘After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like,” Obama tweeted.
Barack Obama has long tried to present himself as a champion of press freedom, but in reality, his administration carried out one of the most aggressive crackdowns on journalists and whistleblowers in modern history. He prosecuted more leakers than all previous presidents combined, often throwing people in prison for disclosures that turned out to be trivial.
The Obama administration also targeted the press itself. Obama’s Justice Department seized phone records from Associated Press reporters and editors, spied on journalists like Fox News’s James Rosen and New York Times reporter James Risen, and even labeled Rosen an “unindicted co-conspirator” just for reporting the news. These actions occurred without due process, often in secret, and caused outrage from dozens of major news organizations that accused Obama of trampling the First Amendment. Obama had one of the most anti-free speech administrations in history.
Obama also tried to weaponize the FCC with his push for so-called “net neutrality,” dressing it up as fairness while in reality advancing a regulatory scheme that would give Washington greater leverage over internet providers and, by extension, online speech. For all the talk about hope and change, Obama’s legacy is one of suppressing dissent, intimidating the press, and laying the groundwork for the censorship culture that dominates the left today.
And the Trump White House is calling him out.
On Fox News, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quickly dismissed Obama’s comments. “With all due respect to former President Obama, he has no idea what he’s talking about,” she said. “The decision to fire Jimmy Kimmel and to cancel his show came from executives at ABC. That has now been reported. And I can assure you, it did not come from the White House and there was no pressure given from the President of the United States.”
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“And how do I know that,” she asked. “Because I was with the President of the United States when this news broke in the United Kingdom. We were enjoying the beautiful and spectacular state visit that was put forth by the royal family and the Prime Minister of the UK, Keir Starmer, and I actually brought this news to President Trump’s attention.”
According to Leavitt, Trump himself was surprised. “He had no idea this was happening,” she said. “It was a decision that was made by ABC because Jimmy Kimmel chose to knowingly lie to his audience on his program about the death of a highly respected man when our country is in a state of mourning. That was a decision that he made and he is now facing a consequence for that decision and for that lie.”
She added, “I can’t speak for [ABC]. I can speak on behalf of the president of the United States. And while he’s pleased with this decision, we had nothing to do with it. It was ABC’s decision and it was certainly the right one by them.”
WH Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt obliterates former President Barack Obama after he claims the Trump administration “routinely threaten[s] regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.”
“With all due respect… pic.twitter.com/wQDHNZcBRV
— RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) September 20, 2025
Barack Obama weighing in on Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension isn’t just laughable—it’s pure hypocrisy. This is the same man who built one of the most hostile administrations toward the free press in American history, spying on reporters, seizing their phone records, and prosecuting whistleblowers at record levels. He turned the Justice Department into a weapon against journalists, even branding a Fox News reporter an “unindicted co-conspirator” simply for doing his job. For Obama to now lecture anyone about censorship is beyond shameless—it’s gaslighting.
See the hypocrisy for what it is—Obama, the same man who waged war on free speech and the free press, dares to lecture us on censorship while the media covers for him. PJ Media uncovers the truth others won’t. Join PJ Media VIP with promo code FIGHT for 60% off. Don’t wait—America needs fearless voices now.
