Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show has been suspended by ABC after his viral comments about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk sparked outrage and drew the attention of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). A network spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be “pre-empted indefinitely.” The decision comes just hours after Nexstar, one of the nation’s largest owners of local TV stations — including 28 ABC affiliates — announced it would not air the program “for the immediate future.”
The entire Kimmel controversy has stemmed from the comments he made during his Tuesday night monologue. Speaking about the suspect in the Kirk shooting, Kimmel said:
“We hit 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.”
The remarks quickly went viral, prompting FCC chair Brendan Carr to address them on a podcast the following day. Carr suggested that ABC affiliates could face repercussions for continuing to air the program. Carr declared that affiliates should “push back” on ABC, stating:
“Listen, we’re not going to run Kimmel anymore until you straighten this out because we’re running the possibility of license revocation from the FCC if we continue to run content that ends up being a pattern of news distortion.”
How Did Jimmy Kimmel’s Show Get Taken Off Air?
Nexstar mainly tends to operate stations in smaller and midsize markets across the country, but its ABC portfolio also includes major affiliates in New Orleans and Salt Lake City. By Wednesday evening, Nexstar had a statement confirming it would pre-empt Kimmel’s show across its ABC stations. Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar’s broadcasting division said:
“Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we 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.”
While many of his recent investigations have centered on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, Carr has also taken issues with individual segments, while an FCC probe into last year’s 60 Minutes interview with Vice President Kamala Harris remains ongoing.
via Collider