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The late-night show Jimmy Kimmel Live is facing an indefinite suspension after its host made controversial remarks regarding the motives behind the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
This decision by ABC, owned by Walt Disney in the United States, comes in the wake of criticism from the US Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) chairman aimed at Kimmel.
FCC chair Brendan Carr had urged local broadcasters to stop airing the show on ABC and warned that the commission could open an investigation, and that broadcasters could potentially be fined or lose their licences.
“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said in a podcast interview with conservative Benny Johnson that aired on Wednesday (local time).
Media company Nexstar Media Group Inc had earlier said it would stop airing the show on its 32 ABC affiliates, citing Kimmel’s comments.
Andrew Alford, the president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, stated: “Mr. Kimmel’s statements concerning Mr. Kirk’s passing are offensive and show a lack of sensitivity during a delicate period in our nation’s political discussions.”
What did Jimmy Kimmel say about Charlie Kirk?
Authorities allege that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson killed Kirk with a single bullet to the neck from a sniper rifle. He has been arrested and charged with murder, and faces the death penalty.
During a broadcast on Monday night local time, Kimmel said Trump’s supporters were using Kirk’s death for political gain.
“The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them”, Kimmel said, and were “doing everything they can to score political points from it”.
In the immediate aftermath of Kirk’s killing, several Republicans in the US quickly sought to attribute blame to the left, including Trump himself.
After Robinson’s arrest, Utah’s governor, Spencer Cox, mentioned that Robinson followed “leftist ideology,” which contrasted with the political views of his conservative family.
In a text message exchange between Robinson and his romantic partner that has since been released, he was asked why he had allegedly killed Kirk.
“I had enough of his hatred,” Robinson replied.
During his time as a conservative commentator, Kirk regularly expressed disparaging views about marginalised groups.
This week, several officials within Trump’s administration vowed a crackdown on the “radical left” in the US in response to Kirk’s death.
Trump celebrates Kimmel being taken off air
Trump celebrated the news of Kimmel being taken off the air, congratulating ABC for “finally having the courage to do what had to be done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
Trump has repeatedly pressured broadcasters to stop airing content he has found objectionable.
In his Truth Social post, he also called on the Comcast-owned NBC to fire Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, the hosts of late-night comedy shows on the network who often make jokes at Trump’s expense.
— With additional reporting by Reuters
