Jimmy Kimmel taken off air over Charlie Kirk comments

ABC has pulled late-night host Jimmy Kimmel off air indefinitely over comments he made about the shooting of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live will be pre-empted indefinitely,” a spokesperson for the Disney-owned network said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Kimmel said during his show that the “Maga gang” was trying to score political points off Kirk’s killing.

Kimmel has not commented but President Donald Trump said it was “great news for America”.

The suspension came just hours after Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr threatened to act against Disney and ABC over Kimmel’s remarks.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Mr Carr, a Trump appointee, told the Benny Show, a conservative podcast.

“These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

In his Monday night monologue, Kimmel said: “The Maga Gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

The term “Maga” is short for Trump’s long-running campaign slogan, Make America Great Again, and many of the US president’s supporters often wear caps and shirts bearing the phrase.

The late-night host also noted flags being flown at half mast in honour of Kirk, which got some criticism at the time, and mocked US President Donald Trump’s reaction to the shooting.

“This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish,” said Kimmel, who has often poked fun at Trump.

On the day Kirk was shot, Kimmel took to Instagram to condemn the attack and send “love” to the 31-year-old activist’s family.

A suspect, 22, has since appeared in court charged with aggravated murder.

Shortly after ABC announced Kimmel had been suspended, President Trump wrote in a social media post: “The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”

Kimmel is one of the top chat show personalities in the US. He has fronted his show Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003 and hosted the Oscars four times.

After he was taken off air, Kimmel left the show’s studio on Hollywood Boulevard wearing a flannel shirt and cap and rode away in a car without comment.

Fans of the show, who had been queuing up to join the live audience, expressed disappointment about the cancellation.

Janna Blackwell, who was on holiday from Virginia, told the BBC: “You know, this is getting ridiculous and stupid.

“Freedom of speech. He shared his opinion and is being cancelled. To me that is bizarre.”

Some prominent Hollywood figures spoke out against Kimmel’s suspension, with actor Ben Stiller sharing the news on X and commenting: “This isn’t right.”

Hacks star Jean Smart, who won an Emmy on Sunday, wrote on Instagram that she was “horrified at the cancellation”, adding: “What Jimmy said was free speech, not hate speech”.

A joint statement from House Democrat leaders said Carr had “engaged in the corrupt abuse of power” and called for him to resign.

“He has disgraced the office he holds by bullying ABC, the employer of Jimmy Kimmel, and forcing the company to bend the knee to the Trump administration,” said the statement from figures including Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

The ABC announcement came just after one of the biggest owners of TV stations in the US, Nexstar Media, said it would not air Jimmy Kimmel Live! “for the foreseeable future beginning with tonight’s show”.

Nexstar said the comedian’s remarks about Kirk were “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse”.

“[We] do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located,” said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division.

Mr Carr thanked Nexstar “for doing the right thing” and said he hoped other broadcasters would follow its lead. Nexstar is currently seeking FCC approval for its planned $6.2bn (£4.5bn) merger with Tegna.

Sinclair, the largest ABC affiliate group in the US, followed suit. It said it would air a special remembrance programme dedicated to Kirk this Friday during the original time slot for Kimmel’s show.

Carr had earlier described Kimmel’s monologue as “the sickest conduct possible” and he urged Disney to take action.

“[Broadcasters] have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest,” the Trump appointee told the Benny Show, a conservative podcast.

He noted that an apology from Kimmel would be a “very reasonable, minimal step”.

But Anna Gomez, the only Democratic member of the FCC, criticised Carr’s remarks.

She posted on X that “an inexcusable act of political violence by one disturbed individual must never be exploited as justification for broader censorship or control”.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA), Hollywood’s labour union, condemned the decision to take Kimmel off air as a violation of constitutional free speech rights.

“Shame on those in government who forget this founding truth,” it said in a statement.

A person familiar with Kimmel’s situation told CNBC that the host had not been fired, adding that bosses at the network intended to speak to the comedian about what he should say when he goes back on air.

Kimmel is the latest late-night host to see his programme run into issues as more viewers turn to streaming over traditional network viewing.

In July, rival network CBS announced it would end The Late Show With Stephen Colbert next year after 11 seasons.

Network executives said the move was “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount”.

However, Colbert tore into the network and its parent company over the decision.

He accused CBS of leaking financial figures to the press, and alluded to a $16m (£13.5m) settlement with Trump after he sued the network over an interview its 60 Minutes programme did last year with former Vice-President Kamala Harris.

That payout came several months after the Disney-owned ABC agreed to pay $15m (£12m) to Trump to settle a defamation lawsuit after its star anchor George Stephanopoulos falsely and repeatedly said during an interview that the president had been found “liable for rape”.

A jury in a civil case had determined Trump was liable for “sexual abuse”, which has a specific definition under New York law.

With additional reporting from Regan Morris in Los Angeles.

BBC News used AI to help write the summary at the top of this article. It was edited by BBC journalists. Find out more.