ABC, owned by Walt Disney, has taken “Jimmy Kimmel Live” off the air following remarks made by host Jimmy Kimmel regarding the assassination of Charlie Kirk, which prompted a threat from the top U.S. communications regulator toward Disney, reports RTE.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly urged networks to pull content he disapproves of and has pushed the FCC to revoke broadcast licenses, celebrated the decision on social media.
Several Democratic lawmakers condemned the move, arguing it represented an attack on free speech.
“‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ will be pre-empted indefinitely,” an ABC spokesperson said, without offering further detail, reports RTE.
“Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” Mr Trump posted on Truth Social.
He also urged NBC, owned by Comcast, to dismiss fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, who have frequently mocked him on their shows, reports RTE.
Kimmel’s controversial comments were made Monday night, referencing the September 10 killing of Charlie Kirk.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang 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,” Mr Kimmel said, reports RTE.
Mr Kimmel also criticised Mr Trump’s expression of grief for Mr Kirk, referencing footage from the White House lawn. “This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish,” Mr Kimmel said.
Kimmel did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters yesterday, reports RTE.
Trump has often praised Kirk for mobilizing young and minority voters, which he credited as a key factor in his 2024 election victory.
Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA at just 18, a group focused on promoting conservative views among young people, especially on college campuses.
The show’s removal came after Nexstar Media Group decided to stop broadcasting it on its 32 ABC-affiliated stations, citing the remarks made by Kimmel, reports RTE.
“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, Nexstar’s broadcasting division president, reports RTE.
Earlier in the day, FCC Chair Brendan Carr urged local ABC stations to cease airing Kimmel’s show.
He indicated the commission might investigate and that stations could face penalties or license revocation if a pattern of misleading commentary is identified.
“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Mr Carr said in a podcast interview with conservative host Benny Johnson that aired yesterday, reports RTE.
“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,” reports RTE.
Mr Carr commended Nexstar. “While this may be an unprecedented decision, it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community values,” he said.
Nexstar, which describes itself as the largest local TV and media company in the U.S., is awaiting FCC approval for its \$6.2 billion acquisition of smaller broadcaster Tegna.
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, the only Democrat on the commission, criticised Carr’s actions.
“This administration is increasingly using the weight of government power to suppress lawful expression,” she said, reports RTE.
Democratic leaders also expressed concern over the situation.
“This is censorship in action. FCC Chair threatens ABC and Disney over Kimmel’s comments. Hours later, he’s off the air,” Senator Ed Markey posted on X, reports RTE.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Senator Brian Schatz from Hawaii echoed those sentiments on X.
Mr Pritzker described it as “an attack on free speech,” while Mr Schatz said, “this was the govt using regulatory leverage to crush speech”.
Mr Trump has a long history of threatening, suing, or publicly criticizing media outlets over coverage he opposes, reports RTE.
This week, Trump filed a \$15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and publisher Penguin Random House, accusing both of bias.
“Next up will be an even less talented Jimmy Kimmel,” Mr Trump said after Stephen Colbert was removed from his show, reports RTE.
In July, Paramount, the parent company of CBS, paid \$16 million to settle a civil suit over alleged misleading editing of an interview with Kamala Harris, following ABC’s \$15 million defamation settlement last December in relation to anchor George Stephanopoulos’ on-air comments about Mr Trump during the E. Jean Carroll case, reports RTE.
At that time, CBS parent Paramount Global was seeking FCC approval for its merger with Skydance Media. The deal, which created Paramount Skydance, was eventually cleared after the lawsuit was resolved and the FCC under Carr launched a probe into the Harris interview.
Ratings for traditional late-night shows, including “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” have been in decline, with audiences increasingly shifting to streaming platforms and social media, reports RTE.
According to Nielsen, “Jimmy Kimmel Live” averaged 1.57 million viewers per episode in the most recent broadcast season ending in May.
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” led in viewership, averaging 1.9 million per episode during the same period, reports RTE.
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