Robert De Niro made a surprise cameo as the "new" U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday night.
After his emotional opening monologue, in which he reflected on being suspended for six days over his comments about the death of Charlie Kirk, the host pretended he was about to speak to FCC chairman Brendan Carr.
Instead, De Niro - a vocal opponent of U.S. President Donald Trump - appeared on the screen via video link.
Sitting behind a desk and wearing a grey suit, the Oscar-winning actor adopted a mob boss persona.
"So you tell Whoopi over there, she better show a little respect, or the only view she's getting is from under George Washington. The bridge, not the guy," he began, referring to Carr recently suggesting he may review any political content of daytime talk show The View, for which Whoopi Goldberg serves as a co-host.
Kimmel then asked De Niro whether he was threatening Goldberg, with him replying, "I would never threaten Miss Goldstein (sic). I was just teaching a lesson about consequences."
The comedian continued to question the Hollywood icon's character, asking, "Pardon me for saying, and maybe you're the wrong guy to talk to, but it seems like the FCC is using mob tactics to suppress free speech."
"What the f**k did you just say to me? I am the f**king FCC. I can f**king say whatever the f**k I want... Look. It's just me, Jimmy, the chairman of the FCC, gently suggesting that you gently shut the f**k up... Speech, it ain't free no more. We're charging by the word now," the 82-year-old responded.
Later in the chat, De Niro shared his new motto for the FCC: "Sticks and stones may break your bones."
"And... well, the rest of that is, 'But words can never harm you,'" Kimmel noted.
"Oh, well, they can harm you now," The Godfather Part II star added jokingly. "Let's make sure you pick the right words. Capisce?"
To conclude the humorous segment, Kimmel exclaimed: "I gotta tell you, I like the new guy a lot!"
Earlier this month, Carr sparked debate when he pressured executives at The Walt Disney Company, which owns the ABC network, to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! over host Kimmel's comments.
During a podcast interview, Carr encouraged local stations not to air the show, claiming the FCC "can do this the easy way or the hard way".
Trump has also been critical of Kimmel, and on Tuesday, slammed ABC bosses in a message posted on his Truth Social account.
