ABC announced Wednesday it’s pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air indefinitely. The sudden move followed threats from the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission to the stations that carry the show, and backlash to comments Kimmel made this week about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
An ABC spokesperson told NPR Wednesday evening that “Jimmy Kimmel Live will be preempted indefinitely.”
During his monologue on Monday, Kimmel took a few jabs at President Trump, as he has done many times. He made fun of Trump’s seemingly indifferent response to a reporter’s question about Charlie Kirk’s killing as Kirk was speaking at Utah Valley University Sept. 10. A 22-year-old Utah man has been arrested and charged in the fatal shooting.
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But it was what Kimmel said right before that that upset people, including Trump: “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.”
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Trump again calls for FCC to revoke ABC and NBC licenses
On his show last week, Kimmel called Kirk’s murder “senseless.” And on the day it happened, Kimmel posted a message on Instagram sending love to the Kirk family and to the victims of gun violence.
On Truth Social,President Trump congratulated ABC for its “courage” in shutting down Kimmel’s show.
It was just two months ago the president was celebrating after CBS announced it was canceling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — another longtime Trump critic.
At the time, Trump warned that Jimmy Kimmel was next. In his latest post, Trump said “that leaves Jimmy and Seth”— late night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers. The president urged NBC to cancel them.
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, criticized Kimmel’s remarks and threatened federal action against ABC affiliates who carried the show.
“Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” he said to podcaster Benny Johnson on Wednesday. “These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action on Kimmel or, you know, there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
According to Truth Social, Seth Rogan is next. How many Rights must we lose before everyone says, ENOUGH!
It’s interesting to me, the FCC has the power to Regulate Social Media Platforms content, but allows violence, abuse and hatred to remain along with misinformation, as they hide behind the protection of 1 st Amendment Rights?
I’d rather have the FCC regulate Social Media Platforms content, similar to the EU and Great Britain rules of Internet Safety. The PDQR’s work.