Jimmy Kimmel Taken Off Air as ABC Responds to Backlash

ABC announced Kimmel was off the air Wednesday after he accused Kirk’s assassin Tyler Robinson – whose own family said he was left leaning – of being ‘MAGA’

ABC announced the network is pulling the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” late-night show off the air “indefinitely” after the talk show host said in a monologue the man who cut down Charlie Kirk was ‘MAGA’ despite court records that show his own family told investigators after the shooting that he had “started to lean more to the left.”

The announcement was made on Wednesday, two days after Kimmel’s Monday night monologue, in which he called the gunman a Trump supporter. “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,” Kimmel said on the air. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”

His remarks stand in direct contrast with court records detailing the charges against 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, whose parents told authorities that their son had “had become more political and had started to lean more to the left – becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented,” which took place, his mother told police, after her son “began to date his roommate, a biological male who was transitioning genders.”

Prosecutors say Robinson targeted Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, last week while the 31-year-old Republican activist, a married father of two young children, was hosting an event at Utah Valley University. Robinson allegedly shot Kirk with a rifle that had belonged to his grandfather, which had been gifted to him by his father.

Credit: Utah County Government

ABC, which is owned by Disney, made the announcement that rocked the media world hours after the Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson that Kimmel’s comments were “truly sick” and that there was a “strong case” for action against ABC and Disney.

“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said. “These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” Carr said on the podcast that the network’s license is granted by the FCC, which means the company has “an obligation to operate in the public interest.”

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In addition, Nexstar, an owner of many local stations throughout the United States, said shortly before ABC’s announcement that it was axing episodes of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for the “foreseeable future.”

“Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets,” the company said.

Kimmel had posted support for Kirk’s family and urged “love” for victims of gun violence in an Instagram post in the aftermath of last week’s execution.

Still, ABC heeded the warning from the FCC and removed Kimmel – a move that mirrors the cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. In July, after Stephen Colbert was told his show was canceled by NBC, Kimmel had a message for that network on behalf of his fellow late-night talk show host: “Fuck You.” NBC axed Colbert three days after he publicly riffed on his own network after its parent company settled a case filed by President Trump for $16 million, a move Kimmel and many others say was political.