ABC has suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night present indefinitely after feedback that he made about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing led a bunch of ABC-affiliated stations to say it might not air the present.
Kimmel, the veteran late-night comedian, made a number of feedback in regards to the response to Kirk’s assassination on his present on September 15 and 16. He mentioned that “many in MAGA land are working very exhausting to capitalize on the homicide of Charlie Kirk.”
ABC, which has aired Kimmel’s late-night present since 2003, moved swiftly after Nexstar Communications Group mentioned it might pull the present beginning Wednesday. Kimmel’s feedback about Kirk’s loss of life “are offensive and insensitive at a essential time in our nationwide political discourse,” mentioned Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division. Nexstar operates 23 ABC associates.
There was no rapid remark from Kimmel.
President Donald Trump celebrated ABC’s transfer on the social media website Fact Social, writing: “Congratulations to ABC for lastly having the braveness to do what needed to be completed.”
He additionally focused two different late-night hosts, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, and mentioned they need to be canceled too, calling them “two complete losers.”
Kimmel’s contract is up on the finish of subsequent season, which ends in Could 2026.
After ABC’s announcement, White Home deputy chief of workers Taylor Budowich posted on X: “Welcome to Consequence Tradition. Regular, widespread sense People are now not taking the b———- and corporations like ABC are lastly prepared to do the best and affordable factor.”
In his monologue on September 15, Kimmel mentioned, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately making an attempt to characterize this child who murdered Charlie Kirk as something aside from one in every of them and doing all the things they’ll to attain political factors from it.”
Kimmel mentioned that Trump’s response to Kirk’s loss of life “shouldn’t be how an grownup grieves the homicide of somebody he referred to as a buddy. That is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, okay?” He additionally mentioned that FBI chief Kash Patel has dealt with the investigation into the homicide “like a child who didn’t learn the guide, BS’ing his means by means of an oral report.”
He returned to the subject the next evening, mocking Vice President JD Vance’s efficiency as visitor host for Kirk’s podcast.
He mentioned Trump was “fanning the flames” by attacking folks on the left. “Which is it, are they a bunch of sissy pickleball gamers as a result of they’re too scared to be hit by tennis balls, or a well-organized lethal crew of commandos, as a result of they’ll’t be each of these issues.”
Authorities say Tyler Robinson, 22, who’s charged with killing Kirk, grew up in a conservative family in southern Utah however was enmeshed in “leftist ideology.” His dad and mom advised investigators he had turned politically left and pro-LGBTQ rights within the final 12 months. Utah data present he was registered as a voter, however not affiliated with both political celebration. His voter standing is inactive, which means he didn’t vote in two common basic elections. He advised his transgender associate that he focused Kirk as a result of he “had sufficient of his hatred.”
Kimmel, like CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert, has persistently been essential of Trump and lots of of his insurance policies on his ABC present. CBS mentioned this previous summer season that it was canceling Colbert’s present on the finish of this season for monetary causes, though some critics have questioned if his stance on Trump performed a task.
—By David Bauder, AP Media Author
