Kimmel in limbo: ABC yanks late-night after Kirk remarks as affiliates revolt

Jimmy Kimmel’s TV future is suddenly murky. ABC pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after the host’s monologues about Charlie Kirk’s assassination triggered a backlash from major station groups—and applause from a top federal regulator and former President Donald Trump.

On Monday and Tuesday, Kimmel criticized the right’s reaction to Kirk’s killing, saying “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize” on it and speculating about the suspect’s politics. Nexstar, which runs 28 ABC affiliates, said the comments were “offensive and insensitive” and yanked the show starting Wednesday. Sinclair urged Kimmel to apologize to Kirk’s family and donate to Turning Point USA, and said it would air a Kirk tribute in his slot.

ABC then suspended the show. Kimmel hasn’t commented; his contract runs through May 2026.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr publicly cheered the affiliates’ pushback and said the agency is “reinvigorating” public-interest enforcement. The FCC doesn’t regulate networks directly but does license local stations—leverage that critics say the administration is using to chill speech. Trump celebrated the move on Truth Social.

Kimmel suggested the accused shooter, Tyler Robinson, might be pro-Trump. Authorities say Robinson grew up conservative but recently leaned left and pro-LGBTQ rights; his voter status is inactive. Investigators say he told a partner he targeted Kirk because he’d “had enough of his hatred.”

Both Disney and Nexstar have business before federal regulators (Disney/ESPN’s NFL Network deal; Nexstar’s proposed Tegna acquisition). Reinstating Kimmel could reignite White House ire. The suspension also lands two months after CBS said it would end Stephen Colbert’s show next May—officially for financial reasons—fueling broader debate about late-night, politics, and pressure from Washington.

Actors, comedians, and unions (WGA, AFM, SAG-AFTRA) condemned ABC’s decision as an attack on speech. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression accused the FCC of abuse of power. Democratic leaders called on Carr to resign; Barack Obama warned about regulatory threats to media. Some conservatives cheered, arguing consequences aren’t “cancel culture.”

Wednesday’s taping was scrapped as the audience queued outside Kimmel’s Hollywood theater—news that landed minutes before showtime. Kimmel left quietly a few hours after ABC’s decision.

With affiliates split, regulators circling, and politics all over the frame, ABC has bought time—but not clarity. Whether Kimmel returns, apologizes, or exits late-night altogether now depends as much on corporate calculus and Washington pressure as on ratings.

With input from NBC News and AP.