US broadcaster’s decision came amid comments from regulator FCC around future of licence
Disney’s ABC has pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! from air “indefinitely” following a monologue from the host about the recent killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel had spoken on Monday’s show about Tyler Robinson, who has been charged wth the shooting, suggesting that US president Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement was using Kirk’s death for its own ends.
“The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” he said.
Kimmel also mocked Trump’s reaction to Kirk’s death. “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish,” he said.
ABC confirmed that “Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be pre-empted indefinitely”, with the term meaning the show will be replaced in future schedules.
US reports suggest Kimmel has not been sacked by the US broadcaster but ABC’s senior execs are talking to the host about what he will say if he returns.
Brendan Carr, the Federal Communications Commission chair, suggested ABC’s broadcast licence could have been at risk without action against Kimmel’s comments.
Prior to ABC’s announcement, US syndicated broadcaster Nexstar Media Group - which airs the channel around the country and is in the midst of a $6.2bn merger with Tegna - said it would replace the talkshow “for the foreseeable future”.
Trump later noted on socia media that ABC’s decisions were “great news for America.”
The move comes two months since CBS said it would be bringing the curtain down on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, with the final episode set to air in May 2026.
The show’s current host has been a fierce critic of Trump, although CBS described it as “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.”
Earlier in July, Colbert had criticised CBS parent Paramount for settling its 60 Minutes lawsuit with Trump, which he described as “a big fat bribe”.
CBS added in its statement, however, that the programme’s cancellation “is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters.”
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