Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been pulled indefinitely from ABC’s late-night schedule after the host’s controversial comments about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk sparked widespread backlash. ABC confirmed the suspension on September 17, just one week after Kirk was fatally shot on September 10 during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University.
The move followed a decision by Nexstar Media Group, the largest local broadcast and digital media company in the U.S., which owns more than 200 television stations across 116 markets. Nexstar announced that all of its ABC-affiliated stations would preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! “for the foreseeable future,” citing strong objections to Kimmel’s remarks about Kirk’s assassination. In a statement, Nexstar explained that it would replace Kimmel’s show with alternative programming in affected markets. Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, elaborated on the decision, calling Kimmel’s comments “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse.”
He added that continuing to give Kimmel a platform was “not in the public interest at the current time,” stressing the need to allow “cooler heads to prevail” as the nation grapples with rising political tensions. The controversy began with Kimmel’s September 15 monologue, just days after Kirk’s killing. During his remarks, Kimmel criticized MAGA supporters for attempting to frame Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect accused of assassinating Kirk, as someone not aligned with their movement. “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” Kimmel said, igniting a storm of criticism from both political figures and members of the public. PEOPLE reached out to Kimmel’s representatives, though no public response has yet been issued by the host.
Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was a rising conservative voice and close ally of former President Donald Trump. His assassination has left conservatives shaken and led to renewed political debates across the country. Kimmel’s suspension comes in the middle of his long-running feud with Trump, who has often targeted the late-night host for his sharp criticisms. After CBS canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in July 2025, Trump predicted that Kimmel would be the next to go. On Truth Social, the former president mocked Kimmel and NBC host Jimmy Fallon as “untalented” figures who had “destroyed what used to be great television,” boasting that he hoped he had played a role in their downfall.
Kimmel, who has hosted his show since 2003, has long used his platform to mix celebrity interviews and comedy with pointed political commentary, a style that has often made him a lightning rod for controversy. Over the years, he has hinted multiple times that he might walk away from late-night television. In a 2024 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Kimmel said the three-year contract he signed in 2022 would likely be his last, joking that he always thinks he’s ready to quit but ends up staying. He added that with just over two years left on his contract, “that seems like enough.” Despite his musings about stepping away, Kimmel has continued to push boundaries.
In 2022, he admitted on Stitcher’s Naked Lunch podcast that he nearly quit the show when pressured to stop making jokes about Trump. He explained that he was willing to give up the job rather than hold back on his criticisms, saying that if producers wanted a host who wouldn’t go after Trump, they should find someone else. Kimmel has frequently used his public platform to express his views, even outside of his show. In July 2025, he and his family attended an anti-Trump protest while on vacation, posting a photo on Instagram with each family member wearing anti-Trump shirts and holding protest signs. His caption referenced a letter Trump allegedly wrote to Jeffrey Epstein, pointedly mocking the former president. He has also been vocal in supporting fellow late-night hosts, including Stephen Colbert, after CBS canceled The Late Show.
Reposting Colbert’s farewell announcement, Kimmel wrote, “Love you Stephen,” while blasting CBS executives with an expletive-laced message. These actions have only deepened his reputation as one of late-night television’s most politically outspoken figures. For more than two decades, Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been a staple of ABC’s lineup, airing weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET and featuring a wide range of celebrity interviews, comedy sketches, musical performances, and political commentary. But the current backlash raises questions about its future.
With the show now suspended indefinitely, ABC and Nexstar are signaling that the fallout from Kirk’s assassination has intensified sensitivities in the national conversation and that Kimmel’s sharp remarks came at precisely the wrong moment. For now, the indefinite removal of Jimmy Kimmel Live! leaves uncertainty over whether the host will return to the late-night stage or whether his show will become the next casualty in a shifting media landscape. The controversy underscores how closely entertainment, politics, and public opinion are intertwined and how late-night television has become a battleground in the nation’s cultural debates.
