Jimmy Kimmel Live Taken Off Air Indefinitely Following Charlie Kirk Remarks
Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been removed from ABC’s schedule amid backlash regarding host Jimmy Kimmel’s recent comments about the late Charlie Kirk.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live will be preempted indefinitely,” confirmed an ABC representative to Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 17.
Variety reported earlier that Disney’s ABC has decided to pull the late-night talk show indefinitely, in response to Nexstar Media’s threat to remove the show from its listings.
Nexstar informed the outlet on Wednesday that its “owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will be pausing Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the foreseeable future, starting with tonight’s broadcast.”
The company expressed its “strong objections to the recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the death of Charlie Kirk and will substitute the show with alternative programming in ABC-affiliated markets.”
Us Weekly has reached out to ABC and Kimmel’s representatives for comment.
Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s sudden cancellation follows Kimmel’s controversial remarks about Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson. (Kirk, a polarizing conservative commentator, was shot and killed on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University, at the age of 31.)
Jimmy Kimmel and other stars have expressed strong reactions after CBS canceled Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show for “financial” reasons. Colbert, 61, confirmed this news during the Thursday, July 17 episode of his talk show, stating, “Before we begin, I want to let you know something that I found […]
In his monologue on Monday, September 15, Kimmel accused conservatives of reaching “new lows” by trying to portray Robinson, 22, as part of the far-left, after Utah Governor Spencer Cox stated on NBC’s Meet the Press that the accused shooter had a “leftist ideology.”
“The MAGA Gang [is] desperately trying to label this kid, who murdered Charlie Kirk, as anything other than part of their own group, while attempting to gain political advantages from it,” Kimmel stated during his show. “In the midst of finger-pointing, there was mourning.”
Robinson is currently in custody, having turned himself in earlier this month. He faces charges of capital offense aggravated murder and felony discharge of a firearm, among other serious counts including obstruction of justice and witness tampering.
Kimmel’s remarks have drawn criticism, including from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Brendan Carr, who has called for consequences for the comedian’s statements.
“We can handle this easily or the hard way,” said Carr during the Wednesday episode of The Benny Show. “These companies can find ways to address Kimmel’s conduct, or we’ll have more work to do at the FCC.”
Charlie Sheen likened the death of controversial conservative commentator Charlie Kirk to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. “For this generation, I believe that’s their JFK moment,” Sheen, 60, remarked during an appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored on Tuesday, September 16. “If this is where we’ve ended up, it must not remain like this. […]
Sheen suggested that an apology from Kimmel would be a “very reasonable, minimal step,” but acknowledged that a “suspension” from the network might also be necessary.
Prior to his controversial monologue, Kimmel had publicly denounced gun violence following Kirk’s death.
“Instead of furious blame, can we at least agree for a day that it is abhorrent to take another human’s life?” he posted on Instagram earlier this month. “On behalf of my family, we extend our love to the Kirks and all the innocent people affected by senseless gun violence.”
