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Topics: Entertainment, Politics, TV
Ilana Frost
On September 17, ABC announced the indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, following backlash over Jimmy Kimmel’s remarks during a recent monologue. The surprising decision came after ABC’s parent company, Nexstar Communications Group, made a statement saying it “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.”
In the monologue that caused the controversy, Kimmel commented on reactions to the MAGA podcaster’s assassination. Andrew Alford, the president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, called his remarks “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse.”
The news came as a shock to fans of the late-night show, which has been on air for more than 20 years. As of now, Kimmel hasn’t publicly responded to the suspension. So, what exactly did Jimmy Kimmel say about Charlie Kirk, and what led to Jimmy Kimmel Live! being pulled from the air? Here’s everything we know so far.
In the clip that led to Jimmy Kimmel Live! getting suspended, Kimmel said: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it.”
He then poked fun at Donald Trump’s reaction to the tragedy. “On a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this,” the late-night host said sarcastically, before showing a clip of Trump being asked how he was holding up after Charlie’s death. The president replies, “Very good,” and then immediately starts talking about the construction of a new ballroom.
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According to Deadline, Kimmel was going to address the controversy on the September 17 show. He planned to clarify that he wasn’t claiming Tyler Robinson (Charlie’s shooter) was a Republican or a MAGA guy. Rather, his point was that right-wing figures were bending over backward to shift the blame away from their side. But the show was suspended before he got the chance to say anything.
Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr called Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s shooter “some of the sickest conduct possible.” During a September 17 episode of Benny Johnson’s show, he warned, “This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way … I think you could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this.”
It was after Carr made those comments that Nexstar Media Group said it would stop airing the show.
The Kimmel news comes just a few months after The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was canceled following Stephen Colbert’s comments about CBS’ parent company, Paramount, and their recent $16 million settlement with Trump.
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Will Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon hold on to their shows? TBD.
At the moment, it’s unclear what “indefinitely” suspended means. The Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns several ABC affiliates, stated that they won’t air Kimmel’s show until “we are confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform.”
They want Kimmel to apologize to Kirk’s family and to make a donation to the family and Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA.