Trump's pressure on the media appears to be mounting with Kimmel sidelined indefinitely

President Donald Trump's unit connected media companies appears to beryllium mounting.

On Wednesday, the Walt Disney Company pulled "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" disconnected the aerial "indefinitely" from its ABC web aft the big made comments linking the alleged slayer of blimpish activist Charlie Kirk to Trump's MAGA movement.

The determination is drafting comparisons to CBS's cancellation of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" successful July and raising questions astir the extortion of escaped code successful a Trump-era broadcast environment.

"We deed immoderate caller lows implicit the play with the MAGA Gang desperately trying to qualify this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk arsenic thing different than 1 of them and doing everything they tin to people governmental points from it," Kimmel said during a monologue that aired Tuesday night.

"In betwixt the finger-pointing determination was grieving. On Friday the White House flew the flags astatine half-staff, which got immoderate criticism, but connected a quality level you tin spot however hard the president is taking this," helium continued, teeing up a clip of Trump connected the White House lawn.

Trump was asked however helium was holding up successful the aftermath of Kirk's death, to which helium answered, "I deliberation precise good," earlier pivoting to constituent retired that operation had started connected the caller $200 cardinal ballroom project.

"He's astatine the 4th signifier of grief: construction," Kimmel joked. "Demolition. Construction. This is not however an big grieves the execution of idiosyncratic helium called a friend. This is however a four-year-old mourns a goldfish. OK? And it didn't conscionable hap once."

Kimmel has not been fired, but Disney heads wanted to talk with the big astir what helium should accidental erstwhile helium goes backmost connected the air, according to radical acquainted with the situation.

Kimmel, ABC and Disney are the latest people of Trump's scrutiny of media companies, which has intensified during his 2nd word marked by high-profile defamation lawsuits, the defunding of nationalist broadcasters and regulatory interference from the Federal Communications Commission.

"An inexcusable enactment of governmental unit by 1 disturbed idiosyncratic indispensable ne'er beryllium exploited arsenic justification for broader censorship and control," Anna Gomez, the lone Democratic FCC commissioner, wrote successful a societal media station Wednesday. "This Administration is progressively utilizing the value of authorities powerfulness to suppress lawful expression."

Gomez has been outspoken astir the FCC and Trump's interactions with media companies. In precocious July, erstwhile authorities bureau approved the merger of Paramount and Skydance, she wrote a connection of dissent, saying she was troubled by Paramount's caller outgo to settle a suit brought by Trump against Paramount-owned CBS implicit a "60 Minutes" interrogation with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

"The Paramount payout and this reckless support person emboldened those who judge the authorities tin — and should-abuse its powerfulness to extract fiscal and ideological concessions, request favored treatment, and unafraid affirmative media coverage," she wrote astatine the time.

The suspension of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" came amid statements from FCC Chair Brendan Carr that suggested ABC's broadcast licence was astatine hazard due to the fact that of the remarks.

In a podcast interrogation Wednesday, earlier ABC's announcement, Carr said the FCC was "going to person remedies that we tin look at" with respect to Kimmel's comments.

"Frankly, erstwhile you spot worldly similar this, I mean, we tin bash this the casual mode oregon the hard way," Carr said. "These companies tin find ways to alteration behaviour and instrumentality action, frankly, connected Kimmel, oregon there's going to beryllium further enactment for the FCC ahead."

In August, Trump posted connected his Truth Social level that ABC and NBC should suffer their broadcast licenses for what helium called "unfair sum of Republicans and/or Conservatives."

"Crooked 'journalism' should not beryllium rewarded, it should beryllium terminated," Trump said successful the post.

Carr told CNBC's "Squawk connected the Street" Thursday that Kimmel appeared to "mislead" the American public astir facts regarding Charlie Kirk's sidesplitting successful the days starring up to his show's suspension.

"The contented that arose here, wherever tons and tons of radical were upset, was not a joke," Carr said.

"It was not making fun," Carr said. "It was appearing to straight mislead the American nationalist astir a important fact that astir apt 1 of the astir important governmental events we've had successful a agelong time, for the astir important governmental assassination we've seen successful a agelong time."

The show's suspension besides came aft Nexstar Media Group said its ABC-affiliated stations would preempt Kimmel's amusement "for the foreseeable future" opening Wednesday.

Nexstar is seeking FCC support for its planned $6.2 cardinal merger with Tegna. About 10% of the astir 225 ABC affiliate stations are owned by Nexstar. Tegna owns astir 5% of ABC's affiliate stations.

— CNBC's Alex Sherman, Luke Fountain and Dan Mangan contributed to this report.

Disclosure: Comcast is the genitor institution of NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC. Versant would go the caller genitor institution of CNBC upon Comcast's planned spinoff of Versant.