ABC has pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show off the air after comments the comedian made about the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk, and following pressure from the network’s affiliates as well as the nation’s TV regulator.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live will be preempted indefinitely,” a spokesperson for the Disney-owned broadcaster said in a statement shared with various news outlets on Wednesday.
The move has drawn praise from allies and supporters of President Donald Trump, but sparked condemnation from Democratic lawmakers and free expression advocates.
The context of Kimmel’s cancellation has led to allegations that business interests—particularly those concerning a delicate merger approval process involving the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and ABC affiliate Nexstar—may have played a role.
Taken together, some have interpreted this as a form of indirect censorship of the political Left by the Trump administration. Similar concerns were raised following the recent cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
“First Colbert, now Kimmel. Last-minute settlements, secret side deals, multi-billion dollar mergers pending Donald Trump’s approval,” said Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren. “Trump silencing free speech stifles our democracy.”
Newsweek has contacted ABC, Nexstar and the FCC via email for comment.
Why It Matters
In the wake of Kirk’s killing, the Trump administration has taken a series of actions critics believe undermine longstanding commitments to free speech in the U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned foreign nationals celebrating his death online to “prepare to be deported,” Vice President JD Vance has encouraged people to report those who do so to their employers, and Attorney General Pam Bondi has come under fire for urging a crackdown on “hate speech”—a move many believe clashes with First Amendment protections.
The administration of President Joe Biden faced similar criticism and accusations of censorship over the pressure it placed on social media companies to remove accounts and posts relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 presidential election that were considered misinformation. In June 2024, the Supreme Court rejected cases claiming that these amounted to an unconstitutional violation of free speech.
Why Was Jimmy Kimmel Taken Off the Air?
During his Monday night monologue, Kimmel made remarks about Kirk’s death and its aftermath, suggesting that Trump supporters were attempting to capitalize on the murder and distance themselves from the alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson.
“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.
Kimmel also mocked President Trump’s seemingly uninvolved response to a reporter’s question on Kirk’s death.
In an interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson on Wednesday, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump ally and appointee, called Kimmel’s comments “some of the sickest conduct possible,” and said that there could be “a path forward for suspension over this.”
“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney,” he added. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
Carr also urged other media companies and local broadcasters to “push back” and stop airing the show.
Following Carr’s interview, Nexstar Media Group, the owner of several ABC affiliate stations, announced that it would stop airing the show “for the foreseeable future” over Kimmel’s remarks.
“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,” the statement read.
This sequence of events has raised questions about the extent to which this decision was guided by financial motivations rather than genuine outrage over Kimmel’s comments.
Nexstar, one of the biggest station owners in the U.S, is currently attempting to complete a merger with fellow TV giant Tegna. The nature of the merger—valued at $6.2 billion—requires the approval of the FCC, and for it to loosen longstanding ownership regulations. These include federal laws barring a single entity from owning TV stations that together reach over 39 percent of American households, and guidelines on the total number of stations that can be owned in a single market.
Sinclair, ABC’s largest affiliate group, similarly objected to Kimmel’s remarks, and said it would be pulling the late-night show from its stations “indefinitely.” Sinclair praised FCC Chairman Carr’s comments, and asked Kimmel to issue an apology to Kirk’s family, and to make a “meaningful personal donation” to both them and Turning Point USA, the conservative outreach group founded by Kirk.
“Regardless of ABC’s plans for the future of the program, Sinclair intends not to return Jimmy Kimmel Live! to our air until we are confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform,” Sinclair said.
According to CNN, Sinclair—like Nexstar—has matters awaiting approval from the Trump administration.
Newsweek has contacted Sinclair via email for comment.
After ABC followed suit, Johnson boasted that it was his podcast with Carr that led to Kimmel’s show being taken off the air.
“It’s called soft power. The Left uses it all the time,” he wrote on X. “Thanks to President Trump, the Right has learned how to wield power as well.”
FCC Chairman Carr, meanwhile, responded to CNN’s request for a reaction with a GIF taken from The Office, in which the characters Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute are pumping their hands in the air in celebration.
What People Are Saying
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, in an interview with Sean Hannity on Wednesday evening, said that broadcast licenses carry “a unique obligation to operate in the public interest.”
Commenting on the decisions by Nexstar and Sinclair to pull the show, Carr added: “I’m very glad to see that American broadcasters are standing up to serve the interests of our community.”
President Donald Trump reacted to the news on Truth Social, writing: “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.”
Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, 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.”
Anna Gomez, the only Democratic commissioner at the FCC, posted to X: “An inexcusable act of political violence by one disturbed individual must never be exploited as justification for broader censorship and control. This Administration is increasingly using the weight of government power to suppress lawful expression.”
The Writers Guild of America (WGA), a Hollywood labor union, said in a statement: “Shame on those in government who forget this founding truth. As for our employers, our words have made you rich. Silencing us impoverishes the whole world. The WGA stands with Jimmy Kimmel and his writers.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom posted to X: “Corrupt, despicable, & spineless behavior. A coordinated effort to control the media is happening before our eyes & it needs to be called out.”
Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren posted to X: “First Colbert, now Kimmel. Last-minute settlements, secret side deals, multi-billion dollar mergers pending Donald Trump’s approval. Trump silencing free speech stifles our democracy. It sure looks like giant media companies are enabling his authoritarianism.”
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) reacted: “The government pressured ABC—and ABC caved. The timing of ABC’s decision, on the heels of the FCC chairman’s pledge to the network to “do this the easy way or the hard way,” tells the whole story. Another media outlet withered under government pressure, ensuring that the administration will continue to extort and exact retribution on broadcasters and publishers who criticize it.”
What Happens Next?
Sinclair said that its ABC stations will air a tribute to this Friday, during Jimmy Kimmel Live’s usual time slot.