ABC has suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely. The decision follows fallout from Kimmel’s monologue about the killing of conservative figure Charlie Kirk. ABC took action after its largest affiliate owner, Nexstar Media Group, dropped Kimmel’s show from all 32 of its ABC stations.
The controversy is related to comments made during Monday Night’s show. Kimmel suggested that Tyler Robinson (accused of killing Kirk) was being framed as “anything other than one of them” by MAGA supporters.
“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 doing everything they can to score political points from it,” said Kimmel.
Prosecutors have said Robinson doesn’t appear to have any MAGA or pro-Trump motivations. Instead, documents suggest his anger toward Kirk was personal and driven by a belief that Kirk was spreading hate.
Nexstar’s Andrew Alford, president of its broadcasting division, issued a sharp criticism of Kimmel.
“Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are 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. Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform is simply not in the public interest at the current time.”
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr called the late night host’s remarks “the sickest conduct possible.” He warned that broadcasters like ABC/Disney could face regulatory consequences—including, in extreme interpretation, revocation of licenses—if content crosses certain lines.
The news continued getting worse for Kimmel on Wednesday night. Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest ABC affiliate group in the nation, also announced it was indefinitely preempting “Jimmy Kimmel Live!.”
“Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country,” Sinclair’s Vice Chairman Jason Smith said. “We believe broadcasters have a responsibility to educate and elevate respectful, constructive dialogue in our communities. We appreciate FCC Chairman Carr’s remarks today. This incident highlights the critical need for the FCC to take immediate regulatory action to address control held over local broadcasters by the big national networks.”
Kimmel’s slot on Sinclair’s ABC stations will feature a special remembrance of Charlie Kirk this Friday. The special will run across all Sinclair stations this weekend too. In addition, Sinclair is offering the special to all ABC affiliates across the country.
Sinclair says it won’t lift the suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” until talks take place with ABC. The company has also called on Kimmel to apologize to the Kirk family, and make a donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA.
Kimmel’s contract with ABC expires next year. CBS previously announced plans to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. A huge late-night makeover will be necessary if ABC parts with Kimmel. Where politics fit into late-night television may also earn greater examination.
No Mr Alford, you are wrong. Jimmy Kimmel‘s opinions may not reflect the values and opinions of “all” of the local communities that you serve, but they do reflect the values and opinions of “many” of the people in your communities, just not all of the communities., just like the opinions and values of Brian Kilmeade, Jesse Watters, Hannity, etc, don’t reflect the values of “all” community members. Democracies serve all members the community, thus you are doing a major disservice to the folks in the latter group.
This is the end of free speech and all of us, especially anyone in media, should be outraged by this. The FCC pushed for this to happen by dangling approval of the merger with tenga. Silencing critics is not American.