BY Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES/WASHINGTON – Walt Disney-owned ABC said on Wednesday it was pulling “Jimmy Kimmel Live” off the air, after comments by the late-night show’s host about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk prompted a threat by the head of the top US communications regulator against Disney.
President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly pressured broadcasters to stop airing content he has found objectionable, celebrated the news in a social media post. A number of Democratic lawmakers assailed the decision, saying free speech was under attack.
The suspension of Kimmel’s show marked the latest action taken against media figures, academic workers, teachers and corporate employees over their remarks about Kirk following his assassination.
Republican leaders and conservative commentators have warned Americans to mourn Kirk respectfully or suffer consequences, and some people have been fired or suspended after discussing the killing online.
Kimmel, who has frequently targeted Trump on his late-night comedy show, drew fire for remarks he made about the killing in his monologue on Monday.
“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,” Kimmel said.
Kirk, a 31-year-old activist and Trump-world celebrity known for his right-wing views and pugnacious debating style, was shot in the neck while speaking at a Utah university a week ago. A 22-year-old suspect has been charged with his murder, and his precise motive remains unclear.
Kimmel’s comments led to a response from Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, who urged local broadcasters to stop airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on ABC. Carr suggested the commission could open an investigation and that broadcasters could potentially be fined or lose their licenses if there was a pattern of distorted comment.
“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 commentator Benny Johnson that aired Wednesday.
“Disney needs to see some change here, but the individual licensed stations that are taking their content, it’s time for them to step up and say this, you know, garbage to the extent that that’s what comes down the pipe in the future isn’t something that we think serves the needs of our local communities.”
After Carr spoke, Nexstar Media Group said it would stop airing the show on its 32 ABC affiliates, citing Kimmel’s comments. Nexstar, which needs FCC approval for its $6.2 billion deal to acquire smaller rival Tegna, drew praise from Carr, who thanked Nexstar for “doing the right thing.”
Shortly after Nexstar announced its decision, ABC, which holds FCC-approved licenses for the local broadcast affiliates that it owns, also said Kimmel would be pulled from the air.
“‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ will be preempted indefinitely,” an ABC spokesperson said, without elaborating.
Sinclair, the nation’s largest ABC affiliate group, then said it would not air Kimmel’s show, even if ABC decides to bring it back, unless “appropriate steps” were taken. Sinclair called on Kimmel to apologize and said it would air a tribute to Kirk in Kimmel’s time slot on Friday.
