https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/17/charlie-kirk-jimmy-kimmel-abc-disney.html
ABC
on Wednesday night pulled the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” late-night show off the air “indefinitely” after controversial comments by its host about the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The announcement came hours after the head of the Federal Communications Commission suggested the broadcast licence of ABC, which is a subsidiary of Disney
, was at risk, and after Nexstar Media Group
said its stations affiliated with ABC would ‘“preempt ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ for the foreseeable future beginning with tonight’s show.”

Jimmy Kimmel, during his opening monologue for Monday night’s show, suggested that Tyler Robinson, the man accused of fatally shooting Kirk last week at a Utah university, was aligned with President Donald Trump’s MAGA — Make America Great Again — movement.

“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,” Kimmel said.

“In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving,” he added.

An ABC spokesman on Wednesday night said, ”‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ will be pre-empted indefinitely.”

Hours earlier, FCC Chair Brendan Carr told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson that Kimmel’s comments were “truly sick,” and that there was a “strong case” for action against ABC and Disney.

“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said. “These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

“They have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest,” Carr said.

Nexstar, which is seeking FCC approval for a $6.2 billion merger with Tegna
, in its statement said, “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,” Nextstar said.

Andrew Alford, the president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said, “Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located.”

“Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue,” Alford said.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/abc-news-matt-gutman-apology-kirk-shooter-1236373585/

and if you dont pledge allegiance to his corpse, be prepared to lose your job

Robinson said that his dad is diehard maga

I know truth doesn't matter to Trump et al but this is too absurd

he said what the MAGA gang are trying to do, how is that insensitive.

he’s cooked though either way

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr went on Benny Johnson and complained that Kimmel is spreading misinformation by saying Robinson is Maga and not radical left. They are upset that their narrative is not working. They need to get their story straight. Tyler Perry could have written a better script.

too.

Nexstar, which kicked this all off, owns 200+ local TV stations. They want to merge with Tegna, who owns a shit ton more TV stations. In order to do this, not only do they need the FCC's permission, they need the FCC to change the regulations about how many stations a company owns.

It's the CBS shit, part II.

(and lets move the goal of shutting down free speech closer to the goal line, while we're here)

wild / scary times. stay safe y'all.

https://youtube.com/shorts/d9nmt9nL5Hk

I do not know how ppl do not see the comparisons here.

We are in scary territory.

they want kimmel to apologize and donate funds.

meanwhile they'll be airing a ck tribute on friday in place of kimmel's show.

https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/jimmy-kimmel-live-replaced-charlie-kirk-tribute-sinclair-apology-1236522789/


Media conglomerate Sinclair will replace the Friday timeslot of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” with a Charlie Kirk tribute special on its ABC affiliate stations — and is offering the special to all other ABC stations across the country.

In addition, the company is demanding that Kimmel apologize to Kirk’s family and send “a meaningful personal donation” to them as well as Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk founded that advocates for conservative politics in high schools and colleges. Sinclair, one of the U.S.’s large TV station owners, has long had a reputation for having a politically conservative tilt.


Sinclair’s announcement came after the company and Nexstar Media Group, another major ABC affiliate owner, both pulled the late night show from its ABC stations in response to Kimmel’s recent comments about Kirk’s killing. Shortly after those decisions, ABC suspended production on the show indefinitely.


“Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country,” Sinclair vice chairman Jason Smith said in a statement. “We believe broadcasters have a responsibility to educate and elevate respectful, constructive dialogue in our communities. We appreciate FCC Chairman Carr’s remarks today and this incident highlights the critical need for the FCC to take immediate regulatory action to address control held over local broadcasters by the big national networks.”

Sinclair has vowed to “not lift the suspension of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ on our stations until formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability,” the company said in a press release. Even if ABC opts to restart production on the series, “Sinclair intends not to return ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ to our air until we are confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform.”

Last month, the company announced a “comprehensive strategic review” for its broadcast business, including potential sales and acquisitions. Any deal Sinclair engages in that would involve the transfer of broadcast licenses would be subject to FCC review and approval.

to be watching a Charlie Kirk special?

been right wing christian leaning pieces of shit

we are so fucked. only 8 months in.

is calling for folks to cancel their Hulu and Disney+ subscriptions behind this mess.

I currently have an annual savings type deal with Hulu due to Black Friday; I think I'll take the plunge when I get home from work later on today and pull the plug on the service. Made me realize how much I don't use Hulu at all when I stopped to think about it.

i'll get by w/out it.

my hulu subscription is currently tied to spotify so i'm technically not paying for it. so i'm a little torn.

i watch on hulu, disney+ etc. it's more so the wife and fam.

but yeah, i can't support this shit.

the only way the average american can speak and be heard is with their vote (which often has less value these days the way the system has been rigged) and their dollar (which is always gonna hit).

I have a work around but its a bit glitchy at times.. lol

cancel your spotify subscription cos that's another shitty company.

i know how to find all those shows online anyway.

Get payback.

Hijack the tv and radio stations. Hack the net. If you got the ability do something.

money is the only way to really get back at these companies

gotta pull the plug.

<========================================

Everything us ran in a digital system, those that can should shut them down and take them back to 1989.

Instead of the usual talk and being afraid and just waiting to see what happens.

Show returning Tuesday

I wonder how muffled he will be

it'll be interesting to see if he's the normal kimmel.

Then quits on tv.

problem is even if he wanted to i’d bet they have contingencies in place to pull the plug on the chance he tries to

I am confused… what I saw is Kimmel joking about Trump’s response to reporters

the other part wasn't really a joke. Just a claim that the shooter was maga

>Just a claim that the
>shooter was maga

He didn't *claim* that the shooter was MAGA. He made the objective observation that the MAGA world was desperately trying to claim that the shooter was "anything but one of them," a factual statement which eludes to him *possibly* being MAGA, but doesn't *claim* him as such. And the statement is factual based on, for example, the fact that the Utah governor literally said he prayed that the shooter wasn't "one of us."

Even if he *had* claimed that the shooter was MAGA, that of course still isn't grounds for suspension of his show. But he didn't even do *that*, which makes it all the more ridiculous that he was suspended.

>>Just a claim that the
>>shooter was maga
>
>He didn't *claim* that the shooter was MAGA. He made the
>objective observation that the MAGA world was desperately
>trying to claim that the shooter was "anything but one of
>them," a factual statement which eludes to him *possibly*
>being MAGA, but doesn't *claim* him as such. And the statement
>is factual based on, for example, the fact that the Utah
>governor literally said he prayed that the shooter wasn't "one
>of us."
>
>Even if he *had* claimed that the shooter was MAGA, that of
>course still isn't grounds for suspension of his show. But he
>didn't even do *that*, which makes it all the more ridiculous
>that he was suspended.


^^^^^^^^ All that

not worth a back n forth but I disagree (except for the last part) Lol

Can you point me to when, exactly, Kimmel made a clear, direct claim that the shooter was MAGA ?

“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.”

Flip this into someone you dont like, saying something like this. Would you honestly be so generous in trying to decipher what they actually meant?

I've seen a thousand arguments explaining how Trump didn't really mean "there were bad people on both sides", in Charlottesville, but he said what he said

Should he have been fired/punished? Fuck no, who cares, but if he legit meant something else he should probably clarify

>“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.”
>
>Flip this into someone you dont like, saying something like
>this. Would you honestly be so generous in trying to decipher
>what they actually meant?

No, but context matters.


>I've seen a thousand arguments explaining how Trump didn't
>really mean "there were bad people on both sides", in
>Charlottesville, but he said what he said

Some people deserve and have earned the benefit of the doubt (or at least, haven't lost it entirely), others haven't. I think you know which category Kimmel and trump fall into, respectively.

Again, I'm speaking objectively in the case of what Kimmel actually said, and he did not make any claim. Like I said, he definitely *eluded* to it (maybe heavily), and we can glean how he personally feels, but he did not make a direct claim. That's a fact. And historical context certainly comes into play when it comes to Kimmel v trump.

many won't accept it. Id take him at his word.

until then, I have go go off his words, especially when it mirrors a lot of speculation i was seeing that week from friends on socials, and even some people on here

again, I dont care if he meant it or not. It was no reason to take him off the air. he's not a journalist

>many won't accept it. Id take him at his word.
>
>until then, I have go go off his words, especially when it
>mirrors a lot of speculation i was seeing that week from
>friends on socials, and even some people on here

If you were going off his words you wouldn't be co-signing the rightwing narrative that he made a direct claim that the shooter was MAGA. He didn't, based on his literal words.


>again, I dont care if he meant it or not. It was no reason to
>take him off the air. he's not a journalist

Yea for sure. To be clear the only reason I'm fighting this so hard is because we too often, collectively, allow the bootleg nazis to set the narrative about everything. I think it's important to push back on that at every opportunity, especially among ourselves. The rightwing gonna rightwing, but we shouldn't ever give them an inch on anything because we know how that goes.

I also don't think he owes anyone clarification or an apology for anything, because he didn't say what they're claiming he said, and thus the only people that a clarification and/or apology would serve are the MAGA hardliners who are setting a bullshit, disingenuous, bad faith narrative about this whole thing, per usual. Bending the knee to fascism isn't an option. We shouldn't give any deference to that. Ever.

lol

And like I said the more important aspect of this discussion (and discussions like it) is that we shouldn't ever be willing to give a single inch to nazis and/or their narratives. Because we all know what they do with it. This situation is no different.

He literally did not say what they said he did. That's an actual, documentable fact. It's not splitting hairs to point that out. Especially considering what we're up against. They are lying about what he said, suspended him based on that lie, and are selling it to the public as such. And they're subsequently working overtime to torpedo the entirety of the 1st amendment largely based on lies like this one.

words have meaning right?

those meanings of words also include implications of the words used

you cant separate the two

“The MAGA Gang” and “this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as one of THEM” is doing exactly what you claim it isnt

>you cant separate the two

Yes, you can.

Words have meaning.

You are reading a conversation into it that doesn't need to be there. Call it what you want, but in no sense are you going "off his words" which do not make an argument regarding the actual beliefs of the suspect.

The statement is plain and factual. The inference you're drawing is reasonable, but hardly necessary. And if I'd be less generous with another speaker then that still doesn't change both the actual words he said. It would just reflect poorly in my willingness to listen to people who I don't already agree with.

This isn't one of those times where you just have to give it to them. Kimmel made a point regarding the very forced, very loud public reaction that's worth engaging on its own. The shooter's actual, existing political identity isn't required context.

>shooter's actual, existing political identity isn't required
>context.

If that's what most people hearing/reading his words would infer from his words, I think it kinda matters Lol

But that is not the actual content of what he was saying, something you seem to be moving closer to acknowledging by calling it an inference. I don't think he's required to condition his comments in any way, particularly since he's discussing something that's more than fruitful as a topic of discussion on its own: how his political identity is a topic of contestation and how that contestation is occurring.

was blame the left. And they haven’t stopped since.

Perfectly reasonable for Kimmel to comment on that.

from the Utah gov when news broke to the widow at Kirk's memorial.

so its about Trump and this nigga said you aren’t allowed to criticize him

https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/sinclair-abc-stations-drop-charlie-kirk-special-celebrity-family-feud-1236525562/

Sinclair’s ABC Stations Did Not Air Charlie Kirk Special as Planned After Kimmel Suspension, Carried ‘Celebrity Family Feud’ Rerun Instead
TV station group made news special on slain conservative activist available on YouTube

They brought him back because they lost $4B in market cap in like a day due to public protest.

and nobody wants to watch a special about him.

i think i read SOME sinclair stations wouldn't air it, and some would.

well, we were one and we're in a market of something like 2 million people.

Everyone in those areas could have watched on hulu or on youtube. It aired in my location and I still watched it on YouTube cause it’s more convenient.

But if abc cancels his show, there are no alternatives to view it on.

but maybe i misinterpreted it or missed it.

just seemed more like him making clear his message and intention vs. an ACTUAL apology.

he might have said something like "i apologize if it came across like..." but that's never a real apology to me. saying "i'm sorry i said yadda yadda yadda...i shouldn't have said it" is an ACTUAL apology.

i think in that moment he thought of being in that position, father to 2 young children..and in wild instant them no longer having him as father--that obvs hit him in feels/he made clear he'd never make light of that specifically happening for anyone else

then thanked the support/continued to rally for free speech and continued popping off his network-tv late-night-style jokes at djt's expense. i was cool with it (not sure glen powell was the move though for that episode? weird shift from that tone to talking about his sports comedy series..)

One side is absolute lunacy. Fuck them. Always.

Feels like you can make the obvious point that it’s never cool to shoot people, while maintaining the guy who got shot was a divisive asshole, his wife is an asshole, and all his supporters are his supporters because….they’re assholes.

All of that is true.

I’m reminded of the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode where Larry got in a shouting match with Norm on the golf course, and Norm later died of a heart attack.

“Larry, did you even know Norm?”

“I did know him a little.”

“Did you like him?”

“No. I thought he was a prick.”

We are seeing them paint this guy as a hero. They’re whitewashing history right in front of us….no reason for anyone who knows better to contribute to that in even a small way. You don’t have to normalize anything just because someone died. He helped create the insane environment that contributed to his demise with his hateful, violent, angry, divisive, racist rhetoric.

and in principle im 100% with you (totally agreed, guy was just another grifter shamefully making his living off hate-filled patsies)

unfortunately, nuance is..dead? the assholes are all setup in those positions--and they made their stomp when jimmy didnt appropriately "pledge allegiance to the corpse" (as one article i read phrased it--or in CYE terms, he didn't "thank him for his service" like the rest of us?!)

but: a month from now, nobody will remember that ridiculously overdone funeral usually reserved for ex-presidents.. nor whatever that day of remembrance thing they voted on/itll come and go... and 200 ppl will still have a job working on a network talkshow because the host decided to emphasize the obvious point to placate the assholes that cant process beyond 5-second-long viral clips

Although he tried to cover it up as aimed at kirk’s kids, it was still an apology. And considering kirk’s kids are too young for late night tv, it was basically a public apology to kirk followers, corporations etc.

He may have also donated….on behalf of kirk’s kids of course.

I wish hadn’t.

https://apnews.com/article/jimmy-kimmel-sinclair-affiliates-40489e9058a609029ebcb2ef894221e9