On Wednesday, September 17th, ABC announced they have pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air “indefinitely” following the late-night host’s comments on Monday about the motivations of the man who authorities say shot conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
During his opening monologue on his late-night show, he criticized Republicans for their response to Tyler Robinson, the man who killed Kirk, “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,” Kimmel said. ABC took action to take down the late-night show just hours after Federal Communications Chair Brendon Carr threatened to take down ABC and Disney over Kimmel’s comment. This decision sparked a political debate, and many questioned whether our First Amendment rights were under attack.
“This is getting ridiculous and stupid,” Janna Blackwell, a fan who queued up for Jimmy Kimmel’s show, told BBC News.
“Freedom of speech. He shared his opinion, and is being cancelled.” Many well-known Hollywood stars spoke out about their disappointment, including Jean Smart, who wrote on Instagram that she was “horrified” at the cancellation of The Late Show. “What Jimmy said was free speech, not hate speech.”
President Donald Trump tapped into the debate via X.com, stating that this is “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 went on to mention that ABC should “finish the job” by taking Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers off the air as well.
As a result of the media’s outburst over this incident, Disney, which owns ABC, announced that they would be reinstating the late-night show, “We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday (September 23rd).” Nexstar Media, one of the biggest owners of TV stations in the United States, also said last week it would not air Jimmy Kimmel’s show “for the foreseeable future.”
The night of Kimmel’s return to the show was met with an uptick in viewership. ABC says the show racked up 6.3 million viewers on broadcast in its late-night return. The emotional opening monologue of the show is what truly encapsulated viewers. “I have no illusions about changing anyone’s mind, but I do want to make something clear, because it’s important to me as a human, and
that is, you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” Kimmel said. “I don’t think there’s anything funny about it.” Kimmel thanked many supporters, including fellow late-night hosts past and present, as well as a former boss at a radio station in Seattle who checked in with him last week. He also mentioned that people he knows aren’t fans of his comedy but stood up for his rights, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Kimmel nearly broke down again in praising Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika, who forgave her husband’s killer. “That is an example we should follow,” he said. “If you believe in the teachings of Jesus as I do, there it was. A selfless act of grace, forgiveness from a grieving widow. It touched me deeply. And I hope it touches many. And if there’s anything we should take from this tragedy to carry forward, I hope it can be that. And not this.”
Kimmel’s brief suspension and return showed just how quickly things can escalate when politics and entertainment collide. The debate over whether his comments crossed a line or reflected free speech isn’t going away anytime soon, but his comeback reminded viewers of the impact late-night TV still carries. In conclusion, this situation highlights how tricky it is to balance freedom of speech with the pressures of public opinion.
