US President Donald Trump has celebrated ABC’s decision to suspend “Jimmy Kimmel Live” after the late-night host’s controversial remarks about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The network
confirmed on Wednesday that Kimmel’s show would be “pre-empted indefinitely” following a public backlash and threats of regulatory action.
The controversy stems from comments Kimmel made during his Monday monologue, where he addressed the political fallout surrounding Kirk’s death. Kimmel suggested that “the MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them” and trying to score political points. The remarks were widely condemned as insensitive and offensive, with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan
Carr calling the conduct “sickest possible” and suggesting that the FCC could take action against ABC affiliates.In the wake of the suspension, Donald Trump took to his social media platform to celebrate the news. In a post, he wrote, “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED.” He went on to congratulate ABC for having the “courage to do what had to be done,” while also targeting other late-night hosts, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, on NBC.
The decision to pull the show came after Nexstar Media Group, which operates a significant number of ABC-affiliated stations, announced it would no longer air the programme due to Kimmel’s comments. An ABC spokesperson confirmed the network’s decision, stating that the comments were “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse” and did not reflect the values of the communities they serve.
