Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show got cancelled, but the political fallout from the move is playing out in prime time.
ABC said Wednesday “Jimmy Kimmel Live will be preempted indefinitely,” after Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr threatened to take action against the network and its local affiliates in response to comments Kimmel made on air about the killing of Charlie Kirk.
In an interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson on Wednesday, Carr called Kimmel’s comments “some of the sickest conduct possible,” and said that there could be “a path forward for suspension over this,” according to Newsweek.
“This is a very, very serious issue right now for [ABC-parent] Disney,” he added. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
ABC also faced pressure from Nexstar, one of its largest affiliates, which issued a statement following Carr’s threat announcing it would stop airing the show “for the foreseeable future.”
“Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets,” the statement read.
Nexstar owns dozens of local ABC local affiliates and is currently seeking FCC approval of a $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna, another local station owner.
In his monologue Monday night, Kimmel said, “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.”
President Donald Trump applauded the cancellation in a post on Truth Social. “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED,” he said. “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”
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On Thursday, Democratic leadership in the House issued a blistering press release accusing Carr of a “corrupt abuse of power” over his role in pressuring ABC to pull the show and demanded his resignation. The joint leadership statement, which was released by the office of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY), also accused ABC of “cowardice.”
“Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s war on the First Amendment is blatantly inconsistent with American values. Media companies, such as the one that suspended Mr. Kimmel, have a lot to explain. The censoring of artists and cancellation of shows is an act of cowardice,” the statement read. “It may also be part of a corrupt pay-to-play scheme,” the statement added in an apparent reference to Nextar’s pending deal. “House Democrats will make sure the American people learn the truth, even if that requires the relentless unleashing of congressional subpoena power. This will not be forgotten.”
Separately, former president Barack Obama, who rarely steps into the day-to-day political fray, posted a statement on X accusing Republicans cheering Kimmel’s cancellation of hypocrisy.
“After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like,” the statement said.
Kimmel’s cancellation, and Carr’s involvement, carried echoes of CBS’s earlier cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s late-night show. Like Kimmel, Colbert was a frequent critic of Trump. At the time his cancellation was announced, CBS’ parent, Paramount, was awaiting FCC approval of its $28 billion sale to Skydance Media. Paramount also settled a lawsuit brought against it by Donald Trump over a 60 Minutes segment on CBS for $16 million ahead of the acquisition.
“First Colbert, now Kimmel. Last-minute settlements, secret side deals, multi-billion dollar mergers pending Donald Trump’s approval,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said in a statement. “Trump silencing free speech stifles our democracy. It sure looks like giant media companies are enabling his authoritarianism.”
