ABC has announced it will suspend Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show “indefinitely” after the host’s comments about the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
An ABC spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be “pre-empted indefinitely.”
The move comes after Kimmel said on his show Monday: “We had 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 with everything they can to score political points from it.”
Donald Trump quickly took to social media to gloat over Kimmel’s situation.
“Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED,” he posted on Truth Social.
“Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT.”
The announcement from ABC came soon after Nexstar Media Group, the largest owner of television stations across the country, said that it would no longer air Kimmel’s show. Nexstar owns America’s largest local broadcasting group, comprised of top network affiliates, with more than 200 owned or partner stations in 116 U.S. markets reaching 220 million people.
“Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets,” said the company in a statement.
Andrew Alford, the President of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, added: “Mr Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located.”
Alford added: “Continuing to give Mr Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”
ABC’s decision also came after the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) threatened to discipline Kimmel if ABC did not act first.
During an appearance on right-wing commentator Benny Johnson’s podcast, The Benny Show, FCC Chair Brendan Carr said: “When you look at the conduct that has taken place by Jimmy Kimmel, it appears to be some of the sickest conduct possible...there are avenues for the FCC, so I have to be a little bit careful because we could be called ultimately to be a judge on some of these claims that come up, but I don’t think this is an isolated incident.”
He then referenced a tweet by California representative Eric Swalwell which described Kirk’s suspected killer as coming from a family of Trump supporters, adding: “There has been a concerted effort to lie to the American people about the nature of one of the most significant, newsworthy, public interest acts that we’ve seen in a long time, and what appears to be an action by Jimmy Kimmel to play into that narrative that this was somehow a MAGA or Republican motivated person. If that’s what happened here, with his conduct, that is really, really sick.”
Carr has been the Chairman of the FCC since 2017, when he was appointed by Donald Trump. He added, “Frankly, when you see stuff like this, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Carr’s interview was retweeted by Donald Trump Jr, who captioned his post: “Jimmy Kimmel is a disgrace.”
In response to the announcement from Nexstar, Carr tweeted: “I want to thank Nexstar for doing the right thing. Local broadcasters have an obligation to serve the public interest. While this may be an unprecedented decision, it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community values. I hope that other broadcasters follow Nexstar’s lead.”
Sinclair Broadcast Group announced Wednesday evening it would also stop airing Kimmel’s show “until further notice.”
“Due to problematic comments regarding the murder of Charlie Kirk in programming provided to broadcast stations by ABC, Sinclair and its partners, which operate ABC stations in 30 markets in the U.S., will stop airing Jimmy Kimmel’s show until further notice,” Sinclair wrote on X.
Sinclair later said the show’s suspension is “not enough” and called on ABC and the FCC to “take additional action.”
Carr also thanked Sinclair for “taking quick action that you consider responsive to the needs and values of the local communities you serve.”
After news broke of Kimmel’s show being suspended, Johnson celebrated the comedian’s platform being “destroyed,” saying that “the line was crossed” with Kimmel’s comments about Kirk.
“Thanks to FCC pressure and Nexstar and Sinclair pulling him from millions of homes, his platform is destroyed. He’s finished. Will never recover. This isn’t cancel culture. This is CONSEQUENCE culture. For Charlie Kirk,” he wrote on X.
In July, after CBS announced it was canceling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, President Trump wrote on his Truth Social 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!”
MSNBC host Chris Hayes posted about the connection between ABC’s decision, Carr’s comments and President Trump’s apparent wishes, writing on X: “The chair of the FCC explicitly threatened them - specifically the affiliates -- hours before they made the decision. The president has said he wants Kimmel and Colbert off the air.”
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker also responded to the news, writing: “A free and democratic society cannot silence comedians because the President doesn’t like what they say. This is an attack on free speech and cannot be allowed to stand. All elected officials need to speak up and push back on this undemocratic act.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, wrote: “America is meant to be a bastion of free speech. Everybody across the political spectrum should be speaking out to stop what’s happening to Jimmy Kimmel. This is about protecting democracy. This must go to court.”
The Independent has approached Kimmel for comment.
Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man suspected of fatally shooting Kirk, has been officially charged with aggravated murder and six other counts, including obstruction of justice and witness tampering. Utah prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Robinson.
Officials say Robinson was radicalized online and subscribed to a “leftist” ideology, and that he had had enough of Kirk’s hatred, according to text messages he is claimed to have sent to his roommate.
Robinson appeared virtually from jail wearing an anti-suicide vest before a judge at an initial hearing Tuesday, with the next court date scheduled for September 29.
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