LOS ANGELES — ABC is taking Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show off the air indefinitely amid controversy over his comments about Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer Tyler Robinson.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live will be preempted indefinitely,” an ABC spokesperson said in a statement to media outlets.
“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 in his monologue Monday.
Kirk, a conservative political activist, was shot and killed Sept. 10 during an event on the Utah Valley University campus. The suspected shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested Friday.
ABC’s move comes after the Federal Communications Commission chairman threatened to “take action” against Disney and ABC over Kimmel’s comments. One of the biggest owners of TV stations in the U.S., Nexstar Media, had said earlier Wednesday that it would pre-empt airings of the show “for the foreseeable future” because it “strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk.” Nexstar, which owns more than 30 ABC affiliates, is seeking regulatory approval for a deal to acquire TEGNA, the parent company of this station.
FCC chair Brendan Carr said the comments were “the sickest conduct possible” during an interview Wednesday with right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson, suggesting the FCC could pull ABC’s broadcast license.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said. “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take actions on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Carr, a Trump appointee, has also gone after other ABC shows in recent months. In July, he told Fox News that the daytime talk show “The View” is “now in the crosshairs of this administration” because of co-host Joy Behar’s criticism of President Trump. The president has not hidden his dislike of Kimmel — shortly after CBS announced it was cancelling “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Trump suggested that “an even less talented Jimmy Kimmel” would be next.
The president commented shortly after the news broke, praising ABC for their decision.
“Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” he wrote on social media. “Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!”
There was no immediate comment from Kimmel, whose contract is up in May 2026.
An audience was lined up outside the theater where “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” tapes when they were told Wednesday’s show was canceled.
“We were just about to walk in — interestingly enough, they waited to pull the plug on this right as the studio audience was about to walk in,” Tommy Williams, a would-be audience member from Jacksonville, Florida, told The Associated Press outside the theater. “They didn’t tell us what had happened. They just said that the show was canceled.”
ABC has a programming feedback support page and can be contacted online here.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
