ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel’s Show Over Charlie Kirk Comments – Here’s What He Said

ABC and parent company Disney have taken Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air after facing pressure from the Trump administration over comments host Jimmy Kimmel made about the killing of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk.

A network spokesperson told TV Line  Wednesday the late-night show is “pre-empted indefinitely,” following a decision by local station owner Nexstar Media Group not to air the show because of Kimmel’s comments about the Sept. 10 shooting at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

Related: WaPo Columnist Fired Over Charlie Kirk Social Posts, Says She ‘Won’t Be Silenced’

Kimmel addressed the shooting on the Sept. 15 episode of his show.

“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,” he said. “In between the finger-pointing there was grieving. On Friday, the White House flew the flags at half staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level you can see how hard the president is taking this.”

The video cut to reporters asking Trump how he was “holding up” after losing his friend.

“I think very good, and by the way, you see all the new trucks? They just started construction on the new ballroom for the White House,” Trump said, immediately changing the subject.

These are the comments from Monday night that led ABC to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live this afernoon. pic.twitter.com/TzOU3GZ195

— LateNighter (@latenightercom) September 17, 2025

Earlier today, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Kimmel and suggested the government might take action against ABC affiliates that continued to air his show.

Nexstar released a statement saying its stations would cut ties with Kimmel.

“Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and
insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do
not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the
local communities in which we are located,” Nexstar executive Andrew Alford said in a statement.

The statement added, “Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the
resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”

Utah resident Tyler Robinson, 22, was charged on Tuesday with aggravated murder and other counts in connection with the case.

At a televised news conference, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said Robinson targeted Kirk because of his politics.

According to published reports, Robinson’s parents are registered Republicans. But Robinson, a third-year student at Dixie Technical College, is listed as unaffiliated with a political party on his voter registration, according to local news station KSL-TV.

Kimmel has been a frequent critic of  Trump. Meanwhile, Trump has called for Kimmel to be taken off the air like CBS host Stephen Colbert, whose show will end in 2026.