ABC suspends Jimmy Kimmel Live after comments on Charlie Kirk killing spark political firestorm and Trump’s applause. Photo: X.
ABC has indefinitely suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! after the late-night host’s remarks about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk ignited a political firestorm in the US. During his Monday night monologue, Kimmel, 57, accused supporters of President Donald Trump of exploiting the tragedy for political gain.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” Kimmel said, referencing the September 10 shooting on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, Utah, where Kirk, 31, was fatally shot.
Conservative commentator Benny Johnson condemned Kimmel’s comments, accusing the host of spreading lies and blaming the victim.
“This is sick,” Johnson wrote on X Wednesday. He claimed Kimmel was “explicitly stating that MAGA killed Charlie Kirk and is victim blaming the assassination on Charlie’s movement,” adding, “It’s definitionally evil and a malicious lie. Kimmel must be held accountable.”
Just hours later, ABC announced the late-night program would be “pre-empted indefinitely,” a move that followed mounting outrage from prominent conservative voices.
Kimmel’s comments also targeted President Trump’s reaction to the killing of his close ally.
“In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving on Friday,” Kimmel said, before airing a clip of Trump’s subdued reply when asked how he was coping.
Kimmel then ridiculed Trump for abruptly changing the subject to the construction of his White House ballroom, quoting the former president saying he was doing “very good.”
The host quipped, “He’s at the fourth stage of grief – construction. This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, okay?”
The controversy deepened when Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee and contributor to the conservative policy guide Project 2025, appeared on Johnson’s show to criticize Kimmel.
“What appears to be an action by Jimmy Kimmel to play into that narrative that this was somehow a MAGA or Republican-motivated person, if that’s what happened here with his conduct, that is really, really sick,” Carr said. “This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
President Trump celebrated the network’s decision on his social media platform, Truth Social. “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED,” he wrote.
“Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even [Stephen] Colbert, if that’s possible.”
Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative youth group Turning Point USA and host of a popular right-wing podcast, rose to prominence as a key Trump ally. He was shot dead on September 10, prompting immediate political finger-pointing as both liberals and conservatives blamed each other’s ideologies for radicalizing the killer.
Authorities have charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson in the case. According to a criminal indictment filed Tuesday, Robinson allegedly texted his roommate and romantic partner that he had “had enough” of Kirk’s “hatred.”
Despite assertions from Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and White House aide Stephen Miller that Robinson adhered to “left-wing ideology,” the indictment offers little evidence to support those claims. Trump has pledged a “major investigation of the left” in response.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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