Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel has been taken off air indefinitely by ABC after his comments about the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk sparked outrage in the United States.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live will be pre-empted indefinitely,” a spokesperson for the Disney-owned network said in a statement on Wednesday.
The move followed Kimmel’s Monday night monologue, where he criticised what he called political attempts to exploit Kirk’s death. “The Maga Gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said.
He also mocked flags being flown at half mast in Kirk’s honour and ridiculed former President Donald Trump’s reaction to the murder. “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,” he said.
Trump quickly celebrated the decision. In a post, he wrote: “The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”
Kimmel, who earlier condemned the shooting and sent “love” to Kirk’s family on Instagram, left his Los Angeles studio without comment after the announcement.
Viewers waiting in line for the live show expressed disappointment. Janna Blackwell, a tourist from Virginia, said: “You know, this is getting ridiculous and stupid. Freedom of speech. He shared his opinion and is being cancelled. To me that is bizarre.”
A small protest was also held outside the studio, with one sign reading “Trump must go now.”
The fallout widened as Nexstar Media, one of the biggest US TV station owners, declared it would not air Kimmel’s show “for the foreseeable future.” Its broadcasting chief Andrew Alford said the comedian’s words were “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse.”
Sinclair, another large ABC affiliate, said it would instead broadcast a remembrance programme for Kirk during Kimmel’s usual slot.
Brendan Carr, chair of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and a Trump appointee, praised Nexstar’s decision. He said Kimmel’s monologue reflected “the sickest conduct possible” and urged Disney to act. “Broadcasters have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest,” Carr said.
But fellow FCC member Anna Gomez disagreed, saying censorship should not follow an act of political violence. “An inexcusable act of political violence by one disturbed individual must never be exploited as justification for broader censorship or control,” she posted on X.
Hollywood unions also weighed in. The Writers Guild of America described Kimmel’s suspension as a violation of free speech. “Shame on those in government who forget this founding truth,” it said. Screen Actors Guild (SAG-Aftra) added that such moves “endanger everyone’s freedoms.”
Despite the backlash, ABC insiders told CNBC that Kimmel has not been fired, but network executives want to meet him to discuss what he should say when he returns.
Kimmel now joins a growing list of late-night hosts facing challenges. In July, CBS announced it was ending The Late Show With Stephen Colbert after 11 seasons, a move Colbert publicly slammed.
