By Anna Commander,Hannah Parry
Copyright newsweek
Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been suspended indefinitely by ABC over its titular host’s comments about Charlie Kirk.Why It MattersThe decision comes as national conversations about political memorials, free-speech protections and responses to political violence following Kirk’s September 10 assassination have sparked.Kirk, 31, was a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and a face of MAGA for younger generations. Kirk utilized his social media platforms to engage with younger people and discuss topics related to the culture war, foreign policy, religion, and other conservative values.What To KnowA network spokesperson said Wednesday that his late-night talk show will be “pre-empted indefinitely.””Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located,” Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said in a statement Wednesday.”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.”The controversy centered on remarks Kimmel made in a recent monologue in which he floated that the suspect in the killing of Kirk, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, could be aligned with “the MAGA gang” or possibly “one of them.”Kimmel also took a swipe at Trump’s answer to a reporter asking him how he was holding up after Kirk’s death.Trump reacted to the Kimmel news on Truth Social Wednesday night, saying, “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. 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!!! President DJT”What People Are SayingDeputy White House Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich, on X Wednesday: “Welcome to Consequence Culture. Normal, common sense Americans are no longer taking the bull**** and companies like ABC are finally willing to do the right and reasonable thing. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, on X Wednesday: “Buying and controlling media platforms. Firing commentators. Canceling shows. These aren’t coincidences. It’s coordinated. And it’s dangerous. The @GOP does not believe in free speech. They are censoring you in real time.”FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, on X Wednesday: “I want to thank Nexstar for doing the right thing. Local broadcasters have an obligation to serve the public interest. While this may be an unprecedented decision, it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community values. I hope that other broadcasters follow Nexstar’s lead.”Director of the Democracy and Technology Division at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Christopher Anders, in a statement sent to Newsweek via email Wednesday: “Jimmy Kimmel is the latest target of the Trump administration’s unconstitutional plan to silence its critics and control what the American people watch and read. Cowering to threats, ABC and the biggest owner of its affiliate stations gave the Trump FCC chairman exactly what he wanted by suspending Kimmel indefinitely and dropping the show.”This is beyond McCarthyism. Trump officials are repeatedly abusing their power to stop ideas they don’t like, deciding who can speak, write, and even joke. The Trump administration’s actions, paired with ABC’s capitulation, represent a grave threat to our First Amendment freedoms.”Fred Guttenberg, father of slain Parkland shooting victim, on X Wednesday: “The 2A killed the First Amendment. @jimmykimmel was right. If my memory is correct, these MAGAT’s ran against cancel culture. Shame on @ABCNetwork. My television will never be on ABC ever again.”What Happens NextABC’s suspension is open-ended; the network and its affiliates may negotiate next steps internally, and Nexstar’s position could influence other station groups’ programming choices.Update 9/17/25, 9:57 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from the ACLU.
