ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel’s show “indefinitely” following his comments about Charlie Kirk 

September 17,2025

RED FM News Desk

Disney-owned ABC has pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show off the air indefinitely following backlash over his recent comments about Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer. 

“Jimmy Kimmel Live will be pre-empted indefinitely,” an ABC spokesperson confirmed, without providing further explanation. Kimmel’s team has not yet responded to requests for comment. 

The move came Wednesday evening after at least one major ABC affiliate operator, Nexstar, said it would no longer broadcast the show “for the foreseeable future,” citing strong objections to Kimmel’s remarks. Nexstar said it will replace the program with alternative content in its markets. 

During Monday’s monologue, Kimmel suggested that Tyler Robinson, accused of killing Charlie Kirk, may have been a pro-Trump Republican. He criticized the “MAGA gang” for attempting to distance themselves from the suspect and exploit the tragedy for political points. 

FCC Chair Brendan Carr condemned Kimmel’s remarks as “the sickest conduct possible,” warning that his agency could move to revoke ABC affiliate licenses unless Disney takes action. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr told podcaster Benny Johnson, stressing that broadcasters have an obligation to operate in the public interest. 

Carr also disparaged Kimmel personally, calling him “talentless” and suggesting his comments reflected “desperate irrelevance.” Neither Disney nor ABC have responded publicly to Carr’s statements. 

This is not Carr’s first clash with ABC. In July, he criticized The View over co-host Joy Behar’s attacks on Donald Trump, calling the show a target for regulatory action. Kimmel, too, has long been a Trump critic and frequent subject of the former president’s insults. After CBS canceled Stephen Colbert’s show—a decision Carr praised—Trump remarked, “Next up will be an even less talented Jimmy Kimmel.” 

Meanwhile, the Center for American Rights filed an FCC complaint against ABC, arguing satire or comedy does not exempt networks from public-interest standards. “Disney, as ABC’s parent company, must act directly to correct this problem,” said the group’s president, Daniel Suhr.