On Sept. 16, ABC suspended the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show after a nearly uninterrupted 22 years on air. The suspension followed comments made by host Jimmy Kimmel regarding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel did not comment directly on the shooting but criticized the reaction from the MAGA community saying, “We’ve hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang characterizing this kid [the shooter who killed Kirk] as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points.”
Once the episode aired, there was immediate backlash from FCC president Brendan Carr and NEXSTAR Media group, a major local TV distributor owning 23 ABC affiliates.
The president of Nexstar stated that Kimmel’s comments were “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse.”
Carr supported Nexstar’s preempting of Kimmel. ABC later came out with a statement deciding to suspend the show indefinitely.
Kimmel, known for his outspoken criticism of Donald Trump, received widespread support after the suspension. Fellow late-night hosts, celebrities like Joe Rogan and Meryl Streep, and avid viewers have all decried the suspension as an assault on free speech and the suspension itself as politically motivated, despite ABC citing insensitivity as the reason. Fans of the show also began mass unsubscribing from Disney+, where the show is available for streaming.
The suspension drew comparisons to the cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” earlier this year in July, reportedly for financial reasons. Colbert’s cancellation came amid political criticisms of Trump and during a major merger between Skydance Media and Paramount Global, which owns CBS (the distributor of Colbert’s show). The FCC must approve such mergers, and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a known Trump ally, led to speculation that Colbert’s cancellation was politically motivated to appease the Trump administration and facilitate the eight-billion dollar merger, although CBS has denied any political motivation in the cancellation.
CBS’s statements on the subject have not changed. Overall, both the cancellation of Colbert and the suspension of Kimmel sparked a massive national debate on free speech in modern day America.
In response to the nationwide backlash, the Walt Disney Corporation released a statement on Sept. 22 explaining their decision but ultimately decided to lift the suspension and announced the show’s return the next day on Tuesday, Sept. 23rd.
Kimmel returned to the screen on Tuesday and started his show with an emotional opening monologue addressing his words on the Kirk assassination and events over the past week.
He started his monologue thanking his supporters, “I’ve heard from a lot of people over the last six days. I’ve heard from all the people in the world over the last six days; everyone I have ever met has reached out 10 or 11 times.”
He clarified his intentions were never to mock Charlie Kirk or blame MAGA for the actions of the shooter, “Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what, it was obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make.”
Acknowledging that his comments might have felt insensitive in the midst of the shocking situation, he added, “But I understand that to some, that felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both. And for those who think I did, point a finger, I get why you’re upset.”
Kimmel also took a moment to criticize FCC Chairman Carr for his statements, saying, “In addition to being a direct violation of the First Amendment, it is not a particularly intelligent threat to make in public.”
He went on to talk about his experiences with ABC before.
“Every night, they’ve defended my right to poke fun at our leaders and to advocate for subjects that I think are important by allowing me to use their platform. And I am very grateful for that,” he said. “I was not happy when they pulled me off the air. I did not agree with that decision and I told them that.”
He closed his returning monologue by urging viewers to follow the example of Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, who forgave her husband’s shooter.
Despite the Nexstar and Sinclair corporations’ decision not to air the show anymore, the new episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was broadcast with over 6 million live viewers, the highest the show has ever achieved. While Kimmel may be back and performing better than ever, the debate over the sanctity of free speech and the extent of government control over news platforms and entertainment remains strong.
