The War on Late Night: ABC Suspends Jimmy Kimmel
Lindsay Gomez-Lopez
Staff Writer
As observed by NBC, despite the criticism the right has for “cancel culture” in recent years, MAGA conservatives seem to now be calling it “consequence culture” as it relates to regulating the public’s reaction to 31-year-old right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination. In the limelight is the suspension of popular talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! just two days after the titular comedian implied President Donald Trump and his associates were exploiting Kirk’s death. Outrage on all sides of the political spectrum followed, not just at Disney’s ABC for pulling the show in response to Kimmel’s remarks by affiliated broadcasters such as Nexstar, but also at Trump and his allies for seemingly influencing the decision.
Disney suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 17 as controversy arose over Kimmel’s statements two days prior regarding the nature and aftermath of Kirk’s death. In the broadcast’s opening monologue on September 15, Kimmel made a few remarks about Republicans molding the situation to fit an anti-left agenda, “The MAGA Gang [is] 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.” Though Kimmel strongly condemned Kirk’s “senseless murder” starting on his show’s September 11 broadcast, many viewers believed Kimmel’s observation was in bad faith, purposefully painting MAGA in a bad light, only further emphasized when he made a few jokes about Trump’s lack of grief, “This is not how an adult grieves… a friend, this is how a four-year-old grieves a goldfish.”
Three large entities weighed in prior to Disney’s ABC’s decision: Nexstar Media Group, Sinclair Broadcast Group, and Federal Communication Commission’s Chairman Brendan Carr. Two of ABC’s greatest broadcasting affiliates, Nexstar and Sinclair quickly put out statements disapproving of Kimmel’s remarks. AP News reported Nexstar said the show was “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse”, and USA Today reported Sinclair shared a similar sentiment and asked Kimmel to make a public apology and donation to Kirk’s nonprofit Turning Point USA to rectify the wrongdoing. NPR noted both corporations’ statements came after Carr, whom Trump had appointed as FCC Chairman, spoke on a podcast stating, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way” and “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” After all was said and done, President Trump congratulated ABC on Truth Social for “having the courage to do what had to be done”, while encouraging the cancellation of Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyer’s talk shows, “That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC… Do it NBC!!!”
Charlie Kirk, known for his “Prove Me Wrong” table debates, was acknowledged as a prominent Republican influencer and close ally of Trump at the time of his public assassination on September 10 on Utah Valley University’s campus. As reported by ABC News, the murder took place on the first stop of Kirk’s “America Comeback Tour 2025” when he was struck in the neck by a bullet shot from a nearby rooftop. Kirk’s untimely death sparked a debate about free speech as many concluded that the activist’s controversial stances were forcibly silenced, a debate further fueled by the cancellation of Kimmel’s show.
While freedom of speech doesn’t apply to private companies, and anger from big broadcasting allies would clearly be enough to push ABC to make a decision, the inherent power of the FCC and Trump’s positions worried many. As Nexstar awaits FCC approval for a “multi-billion-dollar deal” merger according to The Boca Raton Tribune, Carr’s statement feels like a threat meant to silence. Additionally, Trump’s bully pulpit as president has a large influence on his supporters and his disapproval could mean a significant drop in viewership and retaliation from the FCC in the future. Though the program was brought back on Tuesday following backlash and boycotts, a large question remains– if Trump’s government can proudly censor broadcasting in plain view without any fear, what does it say about the state of American freedoms?
Image courtesy of Getty Images.
