The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show was put on indefinite leave after its namesake host made what some said were objectionable comments about the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
But the New York Post is reporting that a larger issue was behind the suspension of the show.
Kimmel’s comments had the potential to derail Nexstar’s $6.2 billion takeover of rival broadcaster Tegna, telecommunications insiders told the Post’s On The Money.
The mega deal, which would join two of the county’s largest owners of local TV station, is already fraught with antitrust questions and must be reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission and Brendan Carr, its conservative chair.
Kimmel’s comments made that approval even riskier, the Post reported.
That’s why Nexstar announced on Thursday that its stations would no longer carry the show, telecom insiders told On the Money.
The same goes for ABC, which produces and distributes “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to broadcasters like Nexstar. ABC also has business in front of the FCC, according to On The Money.
ABC parent company Disney was also quick to suspend Kimmel’s show.
Conservative-leaning Sinclair Broadcasting went even further, announcing it will yank “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from its stations until Kimmel apologizes directly to the Kirk family and donates to Kirk’s political activist group.
Kimmel caused controversy when he said on his show, “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.”
“Cleary Nexstar is sucking up to Carr,” one telecom lawyer told On The Money. “Kimmel’s comments are noxious but from a First Amendment standpoint they would have been protected in the past. He’s a comedian, so how is he distorting the news unless you have a deal to be approved by the FCC?”
Kirk was killed at an outdoor event in Utah on Sept. 10. Utah native Tyler Robinson has been charged in the killing.