ABC has abruptly suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! after the programs late-night host delivered false, inflammatory remarks about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The conservative activist was shot dead in front of 3,000 students and his wife and child on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, September 10.
The decision to suspend the show, described as “indefinite,” came after Nexstar, which operates 28 ABC affiliates, informed the network it would no longer carry the show. In the wake of Kimmel’s on-air claims, questions quickly began mounting about whether his role as a “comedian” could be used as a shield for intentionally spreading political disinformation.
Kimmel said, “We had some new lows over the weekend, with the MAGA gang 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.”
🚨 BREAKING: Unfunny DNC propagandist Jimmy Kimmel CANCELLED!
Walt Disney-owned ABC said it will indefinitely stop airing Jimmy Kimmel Live after the host’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination drew sharp criticism from FCC Chair Brendan Carr.
Earlier, Nexstar Media… pic.twitter.com/gg3A0T2y4r
— J Stewart (@triffic_stuff_) September 17, 2025
That statement directly contradicted reality. Investigators revealed that the 22-year-old suspect, Tyler Robinson, had turned away from his conservative upbringing, embraced leftist ideology, and openly told his transgender partner that he killed Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred.” Robinson’s voting record also showed he had not voted in recent general elections and had not declared any party affiliation. The facts undercut Kimmel’s smear, yet he repeated it across two nights of monologues.
Kimmel doubled down in later segments, mocking Trump’s grief and comparing it to a child mourning a pet goldfish. He also took aim at FBI Director Kash Patel and Vice President JD Vance, attempting to redirect anger away from the shooter and toward conservatives. These attacks were not merely cruel but misleading, designed to plant the idea that Trump voters were linked to violence they had nothing to do with.
Nexstar President Andrew Alford called the remarks “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse. He also added that they “do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located. Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”
The meltdowns have been glorious, and far more common in the entertainment and news realm than anything for when Gina Carano, Tucker Carlson, or Rosanne Barr were similarly fired.
ABC’s muted announcement left the reason for the suspension unstated, but the timing left little doubt. President Trump quickly congratulated the network’s move on Truth Social, writing, “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”
BREAKING: The FCC Chairman is threatening immediate action against Jimmy Kimmel, ABC, and Disney for deliberately misleading the public by claiming Charlie Kirk’s assassin was a MAGA Conservative.
Chairman Brendan Carr calls Kimmel’s malicious lies are “truly sick” and says they… pic.twitter.com/mGhtGMPReI
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 17, 2025
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr blasted the monologues as “some of the sickest conduct possible” and said they appeared to be an intentional effort to mislead the public. A conservative watchdog group accused Kimmel of “reckless indifference” and asked regulators to act against ABC if the company failed to rein him in first. Even potential audience members outside Kimmel’s studio described the comments as extreme once they saw the clips.
What is it you guys told us for years as you censored us and deplatformed us?
*clears throat*
– Private companies can do what they want.
– You’re not being silenced, just shown the door.
– You are free to make your own TV network and post there.
We warned you it would come… https://t.co/QR5cty4RaC
— Grummz (@Grummz) September 18, 2025
According to sources at THR, Kimmel was asked to apologize and retract his comments, and he refused.
There is no joke here pic.twitter.com/wUK4FYyXjN
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) September 18, 2025
Kimmel is reportedly not taking it well. Insiders told the Daily Mail the late-night host is ‘absolutely f***ing livid’ they canceled his show just hours before he was due to go on air.
Free speech means comedians can tell whatever jokes they want, even crude or twisted ones. But as ABC already proved when they fired Rosanne Barr from her own show over a clumsy joke about a former Obama official, free markets also mean a network can decide when a line has been crossed. Kimmel did not just parody the situation. He injected disinformation about a political murder into a national tragedy and tried to smear millions of voters in the process.
From Channing Dungey, President of ABC Entertainment: “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show.”
There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing.
— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) May 29, 2018
Where was all this performative hand-wringing for @therealroseanne or @ginacarano’s free speech? What makes Jimmy a special case? https://t.co/gDafNasyuz
— Chris Braly (@chrisbraly) September 18, 2025
ABC ultimately decided accountability and network affilliates mattered more than a punchline.
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