Jimmy Kimmel loses show after Charlie Kirk comments

American late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel’s eponymous program has been suspended indefinitely, broadcaster ABC announced yesterday. The sudden move occurred just after station owner Nexstar Media Group said it would be pulling the show from its ABC-affiliate stations. 

“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,” a Nexstar representative said in a statement. Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division also said that Kimmel’s remarks 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,” he added.

On Tuesday evening (Wednesday morning Philippine time), Kimmel delivered his opening monologue where he commented on the arrest of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s suspected assassin, 22 year old Utah native Tyler Robinson. "The MAGA gang (is) 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 in reference to the growing discourse regarding Robinson’s supposed political beliefs and affiliations. Robinson’s mother recently told US authorities that her son had begun to espouse “more left-leaning” views over the past few years.

Kimmel subsequently showed a clip of President Donald Trump seemingly dodging a question regarding Kirk’s death. “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of somebody called a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish," he said. 

Kimmel has been an outspoken detractor of President Donald Trump since his rise to power within the Republican party a decade ago. Trump took to Truth Social to celebrate Kimmel’s ban, praising the swift decision-making of ABC to bench Kimmel and stating that he hoped that “Jimmy [Fallon] and Seth [Meyers]” were next.

The decision to pull Kimmel’s show comes right after Federal Communications Commission chairperson Brendan Carr also advocated for action to be taken against Kimmel."The FCC could make a strong argument that this is sort of an intentional effort to mislead the American people about a very core fundamental fact, a very important matter," he told right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson. 

The move to suspend ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ comes right off the heels of Stephen Colbert’s ‘The Late Show’ not being renewed for next year. Both talk show hosts have been critical of the Trump administration.