The ongoing confrontation between President Donald Trump and NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” escalated sharply in November 2025, when the commander-in-chief called for the network and Comcast to terminate the host and revived proposals to revoke NBC’s broadcasting license.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr amplified Trump’s push to oust Meyers, resharing the post on X without additional comment, while the agency’s lone Democratic commissioner, Anna Gomez, has condemned such licensing threats as violations of the Constitution. The conflict traces back to August 2025, when the president erupted over NBC’s announcement that it had renewed the comedian’s deal until 2028, promising a probe of the broadcaster.
Contract Extension Triggers Presidential Ire
Around 2 a.m. on August 27, 2025, Trump took to Truth Social and characterized the contract extension as a “sick rumor,” launching into Meyers with descriptions including “one of the least talented Late Night television hosts” who possesses “no ratings, talent, or intelligence” and has a temperament comparable to “an insecure child.” Regarding NBC’s motivation for the renewal, he declared, “I don’t know, but I’ll definitely be finding out!!!”
The network had actually locked in the extension during May 2024 — more than a year before Trump characterized it as unconfirmed speculation.
The host’s satirical “A Closer Look” series regularly dissects White House actions, including the president’s social media activity, and has targeted Trump’s trade policy, efforts to place Washington, D.C., under federal control, and his Kennedy Center takeover. During July alone, Meyers dedicated “A Closer Look” installments to the administration on July 17, 24, 28 and 31, 2026, with the final episode ridiculing the president’s historically poor approval numbers.
Broadcasting License Threats and Regulatory Battles
Trump’s attacks on NBCUniversal began before his second inauguration, when he pledged to investigate the company for allegedly favoring Democrats in 2024 election coverage — establishing a pattern of hostility toward major networks that has persisted throughout his current term.
In August 2025, the president questioned why ABC and NBC weren’t remitting what he termed license fees for airwave usage, arguing that broadcasters should forfeit their licenses over alleged bias against Republicans and conservatives or, minimally, pay large fees. The statements represented broad warnings aimed at commercial television.
By November 2025, Trump explicitly demanded that NBC and its corporate owner dismiss Meyers “immediately” and suggested yanking broadcast licenses from both NBC and ABC. FCC Chairman Carr shared the president’s termination demand, seemingly supporting it, though a colleague responded that deploying licensing authority as punishment for programming choices would violate constitutional protections.
Industry Turmoil and Late Night’s Uncertain Future
Trump’s hostility toward late-night comedy has unfolded alongside genuine turbulence in the industry. CBS announced in July 2025 that it would end “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” a decision the president applauded at the time while predicting that ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel would be next. The show aired its final episode in May 2026.
During NBCUniversal’s upfront event in May 2026, Meyers attacked CBS as “so in the pocket for Trump,” a barb delivered as the network canceled its flagship late-night offering and faced backlash over its parent company’s legal settlement with the president. The former “Saturday Night Live” performer has openly discussed his concerns, telling the “Armchair Expert” podcast in 2025 that his anxieties had evolved from his own hosting abilities to whether the late-night format itself remains sustainable.
“Late Night with Seth Meyers” averaged one million total viewers in the first quarter of 2026, though its audience expands considerably through social platforms. The show reached its 10-year anniversary in 2024, with then-President Joe Biden making a guest appearance.
Presidential Authority Remains Undefined
Despite repeated declarations, Trump has yet to specify what legal mechanisms he could employ to challenge a broadcaster’s staffing choices. No official White House inquiry into NBCUniversal has been made public, and the license revocation proposals have met immediate constitutional challenges — including from FCC commissioners themselves.
In January 2025, the president wrote that he “got stuck watching Marble Mouth Meyers the other night, the first time in months,” calling him a “moron” and “merely a slot filler for the Scum that runs Comcast.” Trump has portrayed “Late Night with Seth Meyers” not as comedy programming but as a political instrument targeting his government.
The dispute has expanded beyond a simple celebrity feud. It now encompasses labor agreements, viewership figures, administrative threats and nightly television commentary simultaneously. Whether the conflict produces actual regulatory action or remains another persistent media complaint has yet to be determined.
