ABC pulls 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' indefinitely after remarks on Charlie Kirk killing

ABC has said it will indefinitely stop airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! after remarks the late-night host made about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk drew sharp criticism from regulators and affiliates.

The Walt Disney-owned network’s announcement came hours after Nexstar Media Group, which operates 32 ABC affiliates, said it would no longer broadcast the show.

"Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse," Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said in a statement.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr had earlier urged local broadcasters to suspend airing the programme, warning that Kimmel’s comments risked undermining public trust.

ABC’s decision came soon after Carr’s remarks.

On Tuesday night’s episode, Kimmel criticised what he called attempts by Trump supporters to politicise the shooter’s motives.

"We hit some new lows over the weekend with 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," Kimmel said.

Carr condemned the remarks as inappropriate, while FCC commissioner Anna M. Gomez, a Biden appointee, rejected Carr’s stance and defended broadcasters’ editorial independence.

ABC did not say how long the suspension would last.

Industry analysts note that preempting a show does not mean cancellation, but rather allows networks to replace programming temporarily.

The network will now air alternate programming in place of Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Kimmel, who has hosted the late-night show since 2003, has not commented on the network’s decision.

He remains closely tied to ABC and parent company Disney, hosting multiple Academy Awards ceremonies in recent years.

The move comes just weeks after CBS cancelled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, citing financial reasons, though the timing drew attention because Colbert had mocked CBS parent company Paramount Global over its legal settlement with President Donald Trump.

Not a formal cancellation

ABC emphasised that the decision does not amount to cancellation and that the show could return.

"Technically, no. ABC could always lift the halt on Kimmel's programme after some time," a company insider told US media.

The network has not given a timeline, leaving uncertainty over whether the hiatus will last weeks, months, or spell the eventual end of the programme.

Kimmel has been a fixture of ABC’s late-night lineup for more than two decades, helping the network compete with NBC’s The Tonight Show and CBS’s Late Show.

His suspension leaves a gap in the late-night market at a politically sensitive moment.

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Source: TRT