ABC announced that controversial late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel has been pulled off the air "indefinitely" for his controversial comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The veteran host's show, "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" will be taken off the air "for the foreseeable future," a network spokesperson said on Wednesday.
"Jimmy Kimmel Live will be pre-empted indefinitely," an ABC spokesperson told The New York Post on Wednesday, Sept. 17. The drastic decision comes after Kimmel, 57, falsely suggested that Tyler Robinson, 22 — the man charged in Kirk's killing — was a conservative. Investigators, however, say that Robinson was aligned with far-left views and was in a relationship with his transgender roommate.
Unceremonious Exit
Kimmel, 57, came under fire after his Monday night remarks, where he claimed the "MAGA gang" was using Kirk's murder for political gain. The conservative activist was shot and killed on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
"We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them," Kimmel said during his monologue, immediately infuriating Republicans.
Kimmel had planned to address his remarks on his show Wednesday night, but learned beforehand that he'd been pulled from the air, according to Deadline. Nexstar Media Group, a major broadcaster and key ABC affiliate, confirmed it would be pulling Kimmel's show from its lineup following his comments.
"The company's owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will preempt 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' for the foreseeable future, beginning with tonight's show," Nexstar said in a press release.
"Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets," it continued.
Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar's broadcasting division, said Kimmel's "comments about Mr. Kirk's death are offensive and insensitive, especially at such a critical moment in our nation's political conversation."
"We do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located," he said. "Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue."
Trump Celebrates
Kimmel is now reportedly furious about the abrupt decision. Kimmel's comments quickly drew criticism from Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, who told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson on Wednesday that he was weighing an investigation into both Kimmel and ABC over the remarks.
"When you look at the conduct that has taken place by Jimmy Kimmel, it appears to be some of the sickest conduct possible," Carr told Johnson.
"As you've indicated, there are avenues here for the FCC, so there... are some ways in which I need to be a little bit careful because we could be called ultimately to be a judge on some of these claims that come up," Carr said.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump on Wednesday night celebrated the sudden cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel Live! with a fiery post on Truth Social, applauding the end of the ABC late-night show.
He went on to demand that two of Kimmel's late-night rivals, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, be fired as well. "Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED," Trump wrote.
"Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that's possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!"
Kimmel isn't the first late-night host to have his show yanked over political controversy.
Back in July, CBS announced that Stephen Colbert's The Late Show would wrap up after its upcoming season. While the network said the decision was "purely financial," many speculated it was tied to Colbert's controversial jab calling Paramount's $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump over a 60 Minutes interview a "big fat bribe."
