ABC has pulled late-night host Jimmy Kimmel off air indefinitely over comments he made about the shooting of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk. “Jimmy Kimmel Live will be pre-empted indefinitely,” a spokesperson for the Disney-owned network said in a statement.
Celebrating the announcement, President Donald Trump said it was “great news for America”.
Earlier this week, Kimmel said during his show that the “Maga gang” was trying to score political points off Kirk’s killing. “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.”
The late-night host also criticized flags being flown at half mast in honor of Kirk, and mocked US President Donald Trump’s reaction to the shooting.
“This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish,” said Kimmel, who has often poked fun at Trump.
On the day Kirk was shot, Kimmel took to Instagram to condemn the attack and send “love” to the 31-year-old activist’s family.
After he was taken off air, Kimmel left the show’s studio on Hollywood Boulevard wearing a flannel shirt and cap and rode away in a car without comment. Fans of the show, who had been queuing up to join the live audience, expressed disappointment about the cancellation.
The ABC announcement came just after one of the biggest owners of TV stations in the US, Nexstar Media, said it would not air Jimmy Kimmel Live! “for the foreseeable future beginning with tonight’s show”. Nexstar said the comedian’s remarks about Kirk were “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse”. “[We] do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located,” said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division.
The chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Brendan Carr, thanked Nexstar “for doing the right thing” and said he hoped other broadcasters would follow its lead. Nexstar is currently seeking FCC approval for its planned $6.2bn merger with Tegna.
Sinclair, the largest ABC affiliate group in the US, followed suit. It said it would air a special remembrance programme dedicated to Kirk this Friday during the original time slot for Kimmel’s show.
