New York: ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show indefinitely beginning Wednesday after comments he made about Charlie Kirk’s killing led a group of ABC-affiliated stations to say they would not air the show.
Kimmel, the veteran late-night comic, made several remarks about the reaction to Kirk’s assassination on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Monday and Tuesday nights, including stating that “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.”
ABC, which has aired Kimmel’s late-night show since 2003, moved swiftly after Nexstar Communications Group announced it would pull the show starting Wednesday. Kimmel’s comments about Kirk’s death “are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse,” said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division. Nexstar operates 23 ABC affiliates.
There was no immediate comment from Kimmel, whose contract is up in May 2026. ABC’s statement did not cite a reason for the preemption of his show.
### US President Donald Trump Celebrates ABC’s Move
President Donald Trump celebrated ABC’s decision on the social media site Truth Social, writing: “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.” He also targeted two other late-night hosts, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, suggesting they should be canceled as well, calling them “two total losers.”
In July, after CBS canceled “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” Trump wrote on his platform: “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings. I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!” Like Colbert, Kimmel has consistently been critical of Trump and many of his policies.
### Kimmel’s Comments on Charlie Kirk’s Death
In his monologue on Monday, Kimmel said, “we hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
Authorities say Tyler Robinson, 22, charged with killing Kirk, grew up in a conservative household in southern Utah but was enmeshed in “leftist ideology.” His parents told investigators that he had shifted politically left and became pro-LGBTQ rights in the last year. Utah records show he was registered as a voter but not affiliated with either political party. His voter status is inactive, indicating he did not vote in two regular general elections.
Robinson reportedly told his transgender partner that he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred.”
### Audience Reaction to Show Cancellation
An audience was lined up outside the theater where “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” tapes when they were told Wednesday’s show was canceled. Tommy Williams, a would-be audience member from Jacksonville, Florida, told The Associated Press, “We were just about to walk in—interestingly enough, they waited to pull the plug on this right as the studio audience was about to walk in.”
Williams added, “They didn’t tell us what had happened. They just said that the show was canceled.” Concerned initially that someone might have been injured, he soon saw ABC’s online announcement about the indefinite preemption.
Unaware of Kimmel’s comments prior, Williams sought them out after the announcement. “They didn’t really seem to justify the means. It seemed a bit extreme. And it wasn’t insulting; it really had nothing to do with Charlie Kirk at all. He didn’t even mention anything ill about Charlie Kirk—it was about the shooter,” he said.
### Additional Comments by Kimmel
Kimmel criticized Trump’s response to Kirk’s death, saying, “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK?” He also accused FBI chief Kash Patel of handling the investigation “like a kid who didn’t read the book, BSing his way through an oral report.”
He revisited the topic on Tuesday night, mocking Vice President JD Vance’s performance as guest host on Kirk’s podcast. Kimmel said Trump was “fanning the flames” by attacking people on the left. “Which is it, are they a bunch of sissy pickleball players because they’re too scared to be hit by tennis balls, or a well-organized deadly team of commandos, because they can’t be both of those things.”
### FCC and Conservative Reactions
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, called Kimmel’s comments on Kirk some of the “sickest conduct possible” during a Wednesday morning interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson. “There are calls for Kimmel to be fired. I think you could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this,” Carr said.
Carr claimed it appeared to be an “intentional effort” to mislead the public into believing Charlie Kirk’s assassin was a right-wing Trump supporter.
The conservative interest group Center for American Rights cited Carr’s remarks in lodging a complaint against ABC on Wednesday, in addition to a prior complaint from early September accusing ABC of political bias. The complaint states that Kimmel exhibited a “reckless indifference or willful defiance of facts” and called on the commission to take ABC off the air if ABC did not remove Kimmel first.
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez criticized the administration for “using the weight of government power to suppress lawful expression” in a post on X.
### Broader Context and Political Climate
This move comes as the president, his administration, and the Republican Party have intensified efforts to police speech about Kirk’s death. Earlier this week, Vance urged Americans to report fellow citizens who mocked the assassination. It also reflects the latest instance of the administration leveraging power to pressure the media.
Carr has launched investigations into outlets that have angered Trump, and the president has sued numerous media organizations over negative coverage.
CBS announced this past summer that it was canceling Colbert’s show at season’s end, citing financial reasons, though some critics questioned whether his stance on Trump influenced the decision. Soon after, the FCC approved CBS parent company Paramount’s long-pending deal with Skydance.
Meanwhile, ABC’s parent company Disney is currently awaiting regulatory approval for ESPN’s acquisition of the NFL Network.
*Note: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ’s editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.*
https://www.freepressjournal.in/entertainment/abc-suspends-jimmy-kimmels-late-night-show-indefinitely-over-his-remarks-on-charlie-kirks-death