By Lisa Richwine and David Shepardson
(Reuters) - Walt Disney-owned ABC said on Wednesday it was pulling "Jimmy Kimmel Live" off the air, after remarks by the show's late-night host about Charlie Kirk's assassination sparked harsh criticism by the head of the Federal Communications Commission.
The decision comes as Republican President Donald Trump has repeatedly pressured broadcasters to stop airing content he has found objectionable and called on the FCC to pull licenses from stations.
"‘Jimmy Kimmel
Live’ will be pre-empted indefinitely,” an ABC spokesperson said, without elaborating.
Earlier, Nexstar Media Group Inc, which describes itself as the nation's largest local television and media company, said it would stop airing the show on its 32 ABC affiliates, citing Kimmel's comments.
“Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse,” said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division.
Kimmel made remarks on Monday night about the September 10 assassination of Kirk.
"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 on his Monday night show.
Kimmel also criticized Trump's mourning of Kirk, pointing to a video of Trump's comments on the White House lawn. "This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish," Kimmel said.
Kimmel did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on Wednesday.
Trump has frequently credited Kirk for driving more young voters and voters of color in support of his successful 2024 presidential campaign. Kirk was a co-founder at age 18 of Turning Point USA, an organization dedicated to advancing conservative causes on college campuses and among young voters.
Earlier on Wednesday, FCC Chair Brendan Carr had urged local broadcasters to stop airing "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on ABC. He suggested the commission could open an investigation as a result 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 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."
Trump has repeatedly sued, berated and threatened media companies whose coverage he disputes with legal or other action.
Carr, a Trump appointee whose agency regulates broadcast television licenses essential to networks like ABC, has echoed Trump’s concerns about media bias.
Carr celebrated the July cancellation of CBS’s "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” a frequent platform for anti-Trump satire.
At the time, CBS parent Paramount Global was seeking U.S. regulators’ approval for a merger with Skydance Media, which was ultimately granted, forming Paramount Skydance .
“Next up will be an even less talented Jimmy Kimmel,” Trump said after Colbert’s dismissal.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Viewership of late-night shows has been on the decline, as has much of traditional TV, as viewers shift to to streaming and social media. "Jimmy Kimmel Live" averaged 1.57 million viewers per episode during the broadcast season that ended in May, according to Nielsen. "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" was the most-watched late-night show during that time with an average of 1.9 million viewers.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicut; Editing by Leslie Adler)
