Donald Trump's Jimmy Kimmel Drama Proves He Has The Most Fragile Ego In Presidential History

President Donald Trump likes to take credit for destroying late-night TV simply by criticizing the hosts online, but he was blasted for crossing the line following Jimmy Kimmel's controversial comments on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" about the way the president and his loyalists reacted to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Under pressure from the FCC — a federal agency with a Trump-appointed chairperson — ABC and parent company Disney took Kimmel off the air. Trump crowed about the decision on his Truth Social account, writing, "Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that's possible." But, what the divisive politician saw as a wise business move, others felt was a governmental attack on free speech. 

Moreover, his reaction proves once again just how paper-thin his skin really is. Trump has unleashed his fury on numerous late-night hosts over the years, calling them untalented, overrated, and unpopular, among many other things. Coincidentally, those "unfunny" hosts are also the ones who joke about him most often. When Trump trashed Kimmel, he also called for Jimmy Fallon's and Seth Meyers' talk shows to be canceled, encouraging the network, "Do it NBC!!!" The last time a president was so sensitive about being ribbed by a late-night talk show host that he tried to shut them down was, well, never. On the contrary, several former commanders-in-chief have appeared on late-night shows while also gamely poking fun at themselves in the process. 

Political humor has been a part of TV almost as long as the medium itself has existed, and late-night talk show hosts have played a key role in it for decades. The legendary Johnny Carson appeared at Ronald Reagan's inaugural gala to take some good-natured jabs, including quipping, "Ron's economic emergency is when they run out of goose liver paté at Bloomingdale's gourmet department," (via the Washington Post). Fellow Former President Bill Clinton proved he had rizz, before rizz was even a thing, by playing saxophone on "The Arsenio Hall Show." 

Elsewhere, Barack Obama made history as the first president to appear on a late-night show while in office. Even George W. Bush got in on the act — literally — in 2000. Newly elected, he appeared on the "Late Show With David Letterman" to read his list of the top 10 changes he planned to make upon taking office (seen below on YouTube). Among them was a dig at Bush's supposed lack of intelligence: "Make sure the White House library has lots of books with big print and pictures."

Past leaders may not have appreciated every jibe at their expense, but at least their skin was thick enough to withstand the laughs that accompanied them. Not so Donald Trump, whose biggest insecurity is being publicly perceived as anything other than young, perfectly coiffed, and highly skilled and competent. When celebs like Jimmy Kimmel call that image into question, the former "Apprentice" host fires back not with humor, but with insults and threats. If the late-night hosts pull back on the Trump jokes for the sake of his feelings, the president may win his personal war, but something much bigger will have been lost.