What did Jimmy Kimmel say about Charlie Kirk before ABC pulled his show?

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Disney-owned ABC has pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live disconnected the aerial indefinitely aft the big caused contention with remarks astir Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live volition beryllium preempted indefinitely,” an ABC spokesperson said, declining to stock immoderate further details.

Prosecutors person charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson with Kirk’s murder. Robinson is accused of having changeable and killed Kirk portion the blimpish activistic was speaking astatine Utah Valley University connected September 10. Robinson surrendered aft a two-day manhunt.

Here’s what Kimmel said that led to outrage among conservatives, and what the ABC and others person said since:

What happened?

In his opening monologue connected Monday, Kimmel, a vocal professional of US President Donald Trump, accused “the MAGA gang” of trying to “score governmental points” from Kirk’s murder, saying they were speedy to blasted the near earlier overmuch was known astir the shooter’s motives. MAGA, oregon “Make America Great Again”, is the right-wing governmental question that forms Trump’s base.

“The MAGA pack (is) desperately trying to characterise 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 connected his show. “In betwixt the finger-pointing, determination was grieving,” helium added.

He continued to criticise Trump’s absorption to the shooting.

“This is not however an big grieves the execution of idiosyncratic helium calls a friend. This is however a four-year-old mourns a goldfish,” Kimmel added.

The remarks angered conservatives and triggered pushback from the Trump administration.

Brian Kilmeade tin support his occupation aft saying we should termination the homeless, but Jimmy Kimmel gets suspended for this? pic.twitter.com/now6OJqQ8r

— Mike Nellis (@MikeNellis) September 18, 2025

“What helium said connected Monday was helium suggested the suspected shooter of Charlie Kirk was a pro-Trump Republican,” Al Jazeera’s Heidi Zhou-Castro noted, adding that Kimmel spoke earlier authorities released substance messages showing the suspected slayer was really politically opposed to Kirk.

The adjacent day, Robinson appeared successful court, charged with aggravated murder. A precise motive remains unclear, but successful tribunal documents, prosecutors person cited his relatives telling them that helium had veered to the near politically successful caller years, and thought Kirk was afloat of hate.

In substance messages to his flatmate and romanticist spouse aft Kirk’s assassination, Robinson said: “I had capable of his hatred.” Then, successful a abstracted message, helium added: “Some hatred can’t beryllium negotiated out.”

Yet Kimmel returned to the taxable connected Tuesday night, wherever helium accused Trump of “fanning the flames” by attacking radical connected the left. The Trump medication has said it volition ace down connected left-wing groups, whom it accuses of ratcheting up hatred against conservatives. On Wednesday, Trump besides said that helium planned to designate the Antifa left-wing governmental question a “terrorist” organisation.

Brendan Carr, president of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), told right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson connected Wednesday that helium had a beardown lawsuit for taking enactment against Kimmel, ABC and Disney. The FCC is liable for granting licences to broadcasters specified arsenic the ABC and its affiliates.

“This is simply a very, precise superior contented close present for Disney,” Carr said. “They person a licence granted by america astatine the FCC, and that comes with it an work to run successful the nationalist interest.”

According to a Bloomberg report, quoting sources, Kimmel had planned to code the backlash connected his amusement connected Wednesday and rehearsed it that morning.

Carr besides urged media companies that ain section tv stations to “push back”.

igns work "Jimmy Kimmel Live" astatine the El Capitan Entertainment Centre, wherever "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

What was the fallout?

Nexstar, which owns respective ABC affiliates, appeared to travel that call, announcing it would driblet Jimmy Kimmel Live from its affiliates adjacent earlier ABC itself confirmed the suspension.

The institution said connected Wednesday it would not aerial the amusement “for the foreseeable future, opening with tonight’s show”.

Kimmel’s remarks astir Kirk were “offensive and insensitive astatine a captious clip successful our nationalist governmental discourse,” Nexstar added.

Carr expressed support for Nexstar’s decision, thanking them “for doing the close thing”.

Nexstar, which describes itself arsenic the country’s largest section tv and media company, needs FCC support for its $6.2bn woody to get smaller rival Tegna.

I privation to convey Nexstar for doing the close thing.

Local broadcasters person an work to service the nationalist interest. While this whitethorn beryllium an unprecedented decision, it is important for broadcasters to propulsion backmost connected Disney programming that they find falls abbreviated of community… https://t.co/Px5boYbqNR

— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) September 17, 2025

What was Trump’s reaction?

Trump described it arsenic “great quality for America” soon aft ABC revealed Kimmel had been suspended.

“The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for yet having the courageousness to bash what had to beryllium done,” Trump said.

He past criticised 2 different late-night hosts, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, who helium described arsenic “two full losers, connected Fake News NBC. Their ratings are besides horrible.”

JD Vance, the US vice president, earlier this week urged Americans to crook successful chap citizens who mocked the assassination.

In July, aft CBS cancelled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Trump said: “I perfectly emotion that Colbert got fired. His endowment was adjacent little than his ratings. I perceive Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has adjacent little endowment than Colbert!”

CBS said the ‘Late Show’ was dropped for fiscal reasons but its timing, 3 days aft Colbert blasted a colony betwixt Trump and CBS genitor institution Paramount, led 2 senators to question whether authorities were astatine play.

"Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to @ABC for yet having the courageousness to bash what had to beryllium done…" – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/Vhj6DQSssu

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 18, 2025

Who is Jimmy Kimmel?

Jimmy Kimmel is among the astir recognisable figures successful US late-night television. He has hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live connected ABC since 2003, making him 1 of the longest-serving talk-show hosts inactive connected air.

Before breaking into television, Kimmel built his vocation successful radio, moving arsenic a big successful Seattle, Tampa, and Tucson earlier yet moving to Los Angeles, wherever helium transitioned into TV.

Over the years, Kimmel has go known for his monologues, personage interviews and viral drama segments. He has besides taken connected a much governmental borderline successful caller years, often criticising Trump and weighing successful connected societal debates.

Kimmel has besides hosted Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which won him an Emmy, and large unrecorded events similar the Oscars.

In caller years, according to reports, Kimmel has scaled backmost his workload, often taking summers disconnected from the show. His existent declaration with ABC is acceptable to expire successful little than a year, raising questions astir whether helium volition widen his tally oregon measurement distant aft 2 decades connected air.

When his declaration hold was announced, helium joked, “After 2 decades astatine ABC, I americium present looking guardant to 3 years of what they telephone ‘quiet quitting.’”

How fashionable was his show?

Late-night viewership, similar overmuch of accepted television, has been declining arsenic audiences migrate to streaming platforms and societal media.

According to Nielsen, a United States media assemblage measurement firm, Jimmy Kimmel Live drew an mean of 1.57 cardinal viewers per occurrence during the broadcast play that ended successful May.

During the aforesaid period, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert led the field, averaging 1.9 cardinal viewers.

The US Television Database showed Jimmy Kimmel Live attracting astir 1.1 cardinal viewers per occurrence – a 0.35 percent rating, down 11 percent from the erstwhile period – based connected assemblage measurements for the play ending August 31, 2025.