'Obsessed' Jimmy Kimmel Reveals 'Exciting' Special Guest Was Pulled From His Show Amid ABC Suspension: 'They Took That'

Jimmy Kimmel is bummed that a certain guest didn't appear on his show during its suspension last fall.

When the popular music group The Bangles came up during the Wednesday, April 8 episode of Ike Barinholtz's "Funny You Ask" podcast, the late-night host said, "Can I tell you something? When I got suspended at ABC, we were in the middle of '80s week. And Susanna Hoffs was going to be singing."

"I was excited about it, and then, it didn’t happen," he explained, to which Barinholtz replied, "They took this from us."

"They took that. Yeah," Kimmel responded, before the podcast host — who shared he was "obsessed" with the lead singer of the pop-rock band — exclaimed, "S---- you! S---- you, [Donald] Trump!"

Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suspended for six days last September due to pressure from Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, whom President Trump appointed.

Carr threatened to revoke ABC’s license over Kimmel’s material after the comedian made "insensitive" jokes about late right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, suggesting the MAGA movement planned to use Kirk's murder for political gain.

The suspension ultimately only lasted from September 17 to September 22, 2025.

But the move to pull Kimmel's show was met with fierce backlash from Democrats, with 400 celebrities signing an open letter of support for the vocal Trump critic.

"Jimmy Kimmel was taken off the air after the government threatened a private company with retaliation, marking a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation," the letter read.

Upon returning to air on September 23, an emotional Kimmel told his viewers, "You understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man," adding, "I don't think there's anything funny about it."

Taking aim at the president, he went on to blast the Trump administration for trying "to coerce the affiliates who run our show, in the cities that you live in, to take my show off the air."

"That’s not legal. That’s not American, that is un-American, and it’s so dangerous," the comedian declared.

The Republican leader, 79, later responded with a scathing Truth Social post slamming Kimmel, 58.

"I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back," Trump wrote. "The White House was told by ABC that his Show was cancelled!"

He continued, "Something happened between then and now because his audience is GONE, and his 'talent' was never there. Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who’s not funny, and who puts the Network in jeopardy by playing 99% positive Democrat GARBAGE."