Overview
- O'Donnell is confirmed to guest-host Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the week of Aug. 17 and has said she will use the platform to target President Trump in jokes and songs.
- On the On with Kara Swisher podcast she said she is not worried about the FCC or FCC Chair Brendan Carr and recited lines from a Trump-focused 'love song' she plans to perform.
- O'Donnell says ABC told her it could not clear an anti-Trump parody of 'If I Only Had a Brain,' while a Fox report quotes a source saying that version is still undergoing copyright clearance.
- The network's caution traces to a 2025 episode when Carr publicly warned ABC and affiliates such as Nexstar and Sinclair threatened bans, prompting Disney to briefly preempt Kimmel's show and raising stakes for contentious material.
- Coverage differs on emphasis: some outlets stress O'Donnell's defiance and creative plans, others highlight ABC's legal and corporate limits, and the episode underscores how talent now uses podcasts and social platforms when networks decline clearance.