ABC has indefinitely suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! following a firestorm over the late-night host’s remarks about conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated last week in Utah.
On Tuesday night’s broadcast, Kimmel insinuated the shooter was part of the “MAGA gang” and mocked former President Donald Trump’s reaction to Kirk’s death. “We hit 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,” Kimmel said.
The backlash was swift. Nexstar Media Group, which owns a large number of ABC affiliates, announced it was pulling the program. Nexstar president Andrew Alford called Kimmel’s comments “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse,” adding that continuing to air the show was “not in the public interest.”
Federal Communications Commission commissioner Brendan Carr also weighed in, blasting the monologue as “some of the sickest conduct possible” and warning that the FCC could review whether ABC affiliates violated public interest obligations.
ABC followed its affiliates on Wednesday, confirming that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be “pre-empted indefinitely.”
The controversy comes as Nexstar pursues a multi-billion-dollar merger with Tegna, which would greatly expand its broadcasting reach. Such a deal requires FCC approval, giving Nexstar strong incentive to demonstrate sensitivity to regulators’ concerns about public trust and community standards. By moving quickly to cut ties with Kimmel’s remarks, Nexstar may have been protecting not only its affiliates but its merger prospects.
While some outlets on the left have framed the suspension as an attack on free speech, others suggest ABC and its affiliates seized an opportunity. With ratings for late-night television in steady decline and costs continuing to rise, networks have little appetite for defending hosts who spark widespread outrage. CBS recently canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and Trump himself predicted that Kimmel would be “next to go.”
For now, Kimmel has not issued a full response. But the episode underscores both the fragile state of late-night television and the widening gulf between entertainment elites and millions of Americans still mourning Kirk’s death.
Michael J. Hout is Editor-in-Chief of Liberty Affair. Based in Warsaw, Poland, he writes about politics, culture, and history. Follow his latest insights on X: @michaeljhout.
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