ABC Asked Jimmy Kimmel to Lighten Up Trump Jokes, But He Said No: “I Just Couldn’t Live With Myself”

Jimmy Kimmel practically attacks Donald Trump on every episode of his late night show, but the host says he was initially asked by ABC to tone down his trolling. When he predictably said no, the network backed down, giving Kimmel as much airtime to rip Trump as he pleased in the past six years.

The Jimmy Kimmel Live host revealed on today’s episode of Phil Rosenthal and David Wild’s Naked Lunch podcast that ABC broached the subject of his Trump coverage early on, but never brought up the subject again.

Rosenthal initiated the conversation, wondering if ABC ever asked Kimmel, “Could you not just attack this side and lay off a little bit, because we’re going to lose those people?” per The Hollywood Reporter.

Kimmel confirmed that losing republican viewers was a worry of ABC’s, telling Rosenthal, “There was at one time, maybe, I don’t know, right around the beginning of this whole Trump thing where … that was kind of hinted at, but I just said, ‘Listen, I get it. I don’t disagree. I mean, you’re right.”

While Kimmel understood the network’s concerns, he gave them an ultimatum, telling them he would walk if they wanted to pull back from the Trump critiques.

“I just said, if that’s what you want to do, I understand and I don’t begrudge you for it, but I’m not going to do that,” Kimmel said. “So if you want somebody else to host the show, then that’s fine. That’s OK with me. I’m just not going to do it like that.”

The late night host said ABC didn’t push back and met his request with an “all right,” telling the podcast, “They knew I was serious. I just couldn’t live with myself.”

Jimmy Kimmel Live airs weeknights at 11:35/10:35c on ABC.