Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, has been pulled off the air indefinitely after his comments about Charlie Kirk’s shooting sparked outrage among conservatives and the Donald Trump administration. An ABC spokesperson said, “Jimmy Kimmel Live will be preempted indefinitely,” without giving any further explanation.
Here’s what Jimmy Kimmel said that led to the controversy.
Jimmy Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk before ABC suspension explained
Jimmy Kimmel Live! was pulled off the air hours before the most recent episode’s planned airing. This is because of comments that Kimmel made about Charlie Kirk’s shooting on Monday night.
In Monday’s opening monologue, Kimmel accused Donald Trump and the “MAGA gang” of trying to “score political points” from Kirk’s death. He emphasized that they blamed left-wing political movements even before anything was confirmed about the murder.
“The MAGA gang (is) desperately trying to characterise 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 the show. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
Kimmel has long been a vocal critic of Donald Trump. In this instance, he criticized the way the President reacted to the death. Kimmel added, “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”
These remarks angered conservatives and led to the Trump administration pushing back. As a result, ABC suspended Kimmel’s show indefinitely. It is unclear if Kimmel will return to the network. Sources say that he has other plans lined up and may not come back to ABC.
The suspension and controversy have also raised broader questions about freedom of speech in America.
Few can predict what the future holds for talk show hosts. However, following incidents involving Stephen Colbert and now Jimmy Kimmel, it appears that late-night hosts may have to measure their words carefully if they want to remain on air.
