Donald Trump hurled insults at Seth Meyers in the middle of the night on Truth Social, calling the late night TV host “dumb and untalented” and demanding that Comcast, which owns NBC, “pay a big price” for what he calls “political hits.”
“How bad is Seth Meyers on NBC, a ‘network’ run by a truly bad group of people — Remember, they also run MSDNC,” Trump wrote. “I got stuck watching Marble Mouth Meyers the other night, the first time in months, and every time I watch this moron I feel an obligation to say how dumb and untalented he is, merely a slot filler for the Scum that runs Comcast.”
Trump continued his rant: “These guys should be paying a lot of money for the right to give these ‘in kind’ contributions to the Radical Left Democrat Party. These are not shows or entertainment, they are simply political hits, 100% of the time, to me and the Republican Party. Comcast should pay a BIG price for this!”
Variety has reached out to representatives for Meyers and Comcast for comment.
Trump has actively criticized many mainstream media outlets, and there is growing concern in the media sector that he may work to weigh them down with legal matters during his next cycle in the White House. He has levied a massive defamation suit against CBS News and “60 Minutes,” and he recently settled a defamation lawsuit with Disney after he sued ABC News over comments made by anchor George Stephanopoulos.
CBS said the interview had not been doctored and that the suit was “completely without merit.” Disney agreed to donate $15 million to his presidential foundation and museum.
Meyers’ show, which recently celebrated its 10th year on air, mixes comedy and political comedy. The “Saturday Night Live” alum has long been an outspoken critic of Trump. Meyers’ program is, of course, protected by the First Amendment: The host can trash Trump all he likes as long as he avoids defamation, incitement of violence and the usual network TV standards.
However, NBC is beholden to certain Federal Communications Commission rules as a broadcast channel. Trump has been aggressive in making sure some of those regulations are enforced, including the Equal Time Rule, which ensures broadcast stations provide equal opportunities for airtime to all qualified political candidates running for the same office. In November, days before the election, NBC was forced to give Trump equal time after his opponent, Kamala Harris, made a surprise appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” Trump was given an ad slot following a Nascar race and NFL game in return.
