ABC has cancelled Jimmy Kimmel’s show following pressure from a Trump ally
This is according to CNN.
ABC, which is owned by Disney, has taken the evening show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air for an indefinite period.
The decision was made amid a scandal over Jimmy Kimmel’s comments regarding the suspect in the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
ABC stated that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would be replaced on air for an indefinite period. A spokesperson for the channel did not provide any further details.
Kimmel’s representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to CNN, the decision came as a surprise to the entertainment industry. It was made just hours after Brendan Carr, chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission, publicly called on the company to punish Kimmel.
Carr is responsible for licensing local ABC stations. He stated that the FCC could consider revoking the licences of ABC affiliate stations if Disney fails to take action against the presenter.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” said Carr.
He also stated that companies could “find ways to change behaviour” and take action against Kimmel, otherwise the FCC would have “extra work to do”.
Later on Fox, Carr said the FCC would “compel” broadcasters to fulfil their public service obligations. According to him, if broadcasters do not like this, they can surrender their licence.
The controversy arose following Kimmel’s monologue on Monday evening. The presenter said that the MAGA movement was trying to score political points by arguing that Tyler Robinson, who is suspected of murdering Charlie Kirk, was not “one of them”.
“The MAGA gang is desperately trying to portray this guy who killed Charlie Kirk as anything but one of them, and is doing everything it can to score political points,” Kimmel said.
Carr called these remarks “the sickest behaviour imaginable”.
Following this, at least two major owners of ABC-affiliated stations announced they would not air Kimmel’s show.
Nexstar, which operates around two dozen ABC affiliate stations, stated that it “strongly objects” to Kimmel’s comments and will replace his show with another programme in its markets.
CNN notes that Nexstar is awaiting approval from the Trump administration to purchase another major group of US stations – Tegna. For this deal to go ahead, the FCC must relax restrictions on ownership of broadcast stations.
Within minutes of Nexstar’s public statement, ABC announced that Kimmel’s show was being taken off the air nationwide.
Later, Sinclair, another major station group, reported that it had also notified ABC of its refusal to air Kimmel’s show on its affiliate stations even before the network’s nationwide decision.
Sinclair also has business interests that depend on the Trump administration. The company had submitted a bid to acquire Tegna the day before Nexstar made its offer.
Sinclair stated that on Friday, Kimmel’s airtime slot would feature a one-hour special programme in memory of Charlie Kirk.
Following ABC’s decision, Sinclair stated that Kimmel’s suspension was “insufficient”. It called on ABC, the FCC and Kimmel himself to take further action.
Sinclair is demanding that Kimmel apologise directly to Kirk’s family and make a “substantial” donation to Kirk’s family and his organisation, Turning Point USA.
Donald Trump welcomed ABC’s decision whilst on a state visit to the UK.
“I congratulate ABC for finally having the courage to do what needed to be done,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He also mentioned NBC presenters Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, calling them “two complete losers”, and urged NBC to take action.
The sole Democratic representative on the FCC, Anna Gomez, criticised the situation. She stated that an act of political violence cannot be used as an excuse for broader censorship and control.
According to her, the Trump administration is increasingly using the weight of state power to suppress legitimate speech.
Speaking on CNN, Gomez said that the First Amendment does not allow the FCC to dictate to broadcasters what exactly they can air.
She noted that Kimmel was not making baseless claims, but was joking – even if the joke might have seemed crude to some. According to Gomez, this is not illegal and does not justify the administration’s pressure on companies.
Gomez called the situation a dangerous precedent and stated that companies must resist attempts to trade First Amendment freedom for political concessions.
The SAG-AFTRA actors’ union also expressed its position. It condemned the suspension of Kimmel’s show.
The union’s statement said that society depends on freedom of expression, and that the suppression of free speech and retaliation for speaking out on important social issues are contrary to fundamental rights.
SAG-AFTRA described the decision to take “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air as a form of suppression and retaliation that threatens everyone’s freedoms.
CNN notes that Kimmel has long been a frequent target of criticism from Donald Trump.
After CBS announced the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s late-night show and Carr publicly welcomed the decision, Trump suggested that “the next one” would be “the even less talented Jimmy Kimmel”.
As reported by ThePublic, on the evening of Saturday 25 April, an unknown individual opened fire with a shotgun near the event venue, forcing the Secret Service to urgently evacuate Donald Trump and senior administration officials.
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