Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show cancelled by ABC: All that happened

In his monologue on Monday, Kimmel said that many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalise on Kirk's murder, continuing his attack on Tuesday

Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show was indefinitely suspended on Wednesday (local time) following his “insensitive” remarks about the death of conservative activist. His comments prompted a group of ABC-affiliated stations to pull the program from their lineup.

 

The decision has fuelled concerns about the future of free speech in the US, particularly under President Donald Trump’s administration. Here’s a breakdown of what happened and a look at Trump’s long-running feud with late-night hosts.

What happened?

In his monologue on Monday, Kimmel said that many in MAGA land (referring to followers of Trump's Make America Great Again movement) are working very hard to capitalise on Kirk's murder. "We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterise 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.

 

 

He again highlighted the topic on Tuesday night, mocking US Vice President JD Vance's performance as guest host for Kirk's podcast.

 

ABC moved swiftly after Nexstar Communications Group said it would pull the show starting Wednesday. Nexstar operates 23 ABC affiliates. However, ABC did not provide a reason for why Kimmel's contract, which was set to expire in May 2026, was preempted.

 

There was no immediate comment from Kimmel. ABC's statement did not cite a reason why his show was preempted.

 

Meanwhile, Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to celebrate ABC's move. "Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done," he said.

What it means

Trump's recent actions are largely being seen as a way to silence left-wing parties in the name of Charlie Kirk. According to The New York Times, in the six days since Kirk's death, Trump and his top officials have indicated that they would revoke visas for people seen “celebrating” Kirk’s demise on social media, go after liberal groups and begin federal investigations into hate speech. The threats come even after the authorities said the accused Tyler Robinson acted alone.

What's next?

Nexstar said it will replace the show with “other programming” in ABC-affiliated markets. "Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Kimmel concerning the killing of Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets," the media group said in a statement.

 

“Kimmel’s comments about the death of Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse...we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail,” said Andrew Alford, president of the Nexstar broadcasting division, on Wednesday.

Who is Jimmy Kimmel?

Kimmel, 57, is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer, best known as the long-time host of the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC. Kimmel first gained national attention as a co-host on Win Ben Stein’s Money (Comedy Central, 1997–2001), winning an Emmy for it.

 

Jimmy Kimmel Live! was launched in 2003 and soon became one of the big three US late-night shows alongside Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

 

Kimmel is popularly known for celebrity interviews, comedy sketches, viral pranks, and political monologues. He has been particularly vocal about healthcare policies and gun laws.

Kimmel vs Trump

Kimmel has frequently targeted Trump in his monologues, often mocking his policies and public statements. Commenting on Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential victory, Kimmel remarked, “We had a choice between a prosecutor and a criminal, and we chose the criminal. More than half the country voted for a man trying to pardon himself for his crimes. I guess this election wasn’t rigged.”

In numbers

• 22 years: The show has been on air since 2003
• 20.7 million: Subscribers of Jimmy Kimmel Live's YouTube channel  
• 4.4 million: Followers of Jimmy Kimmel Live on Instagram
• 3.4 million: Followers of Jimmy Kimmel on his personal Instagram account
• 3,500: Total estimated episodes
• 1.7–1.8 million: Estimated average TV viewership

The bigger picture

Kimmel's cancellation comes shortly after CBS cancelled The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in July. "Everybody is saying that I was solely responsible for the firing of Stephen Colbert from CBS, Late Night. That is not true! The reason he was fired was a pure lack of TALENT," Trump said in a Truth Social post in July. 

 

"Next up will be an even less talented Jimmy Kimmel, and then, a weak, and very insecure, Jimmy Fallon. The only real question is, who will go first?" he added.

 

In response to Kimmel’s cancellation, Trump renewed his criticism of Fallon and expanded it to include Seth Meyers, arguing that they too should be taken off air. “That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it, NBC!” Trump said on Wednesday.

Yes, but..

The US President’s remarks have also raised questions about the space for other prominent hosts who have openly criticised Trump or made jokes at his expense. Among them is recent Emmy Award winner Desi Lydic, who anchors a segment on The Daily Show.

 

In a recent video, Lydic mocked Trump’s response to Charlie Kirk’s death, saying: “It’s been a tough week for America. We’ve all been processing what happened to Charlie Kirk and what’s happened since. But I do take comfort in knowing I’m not the only one who can’t find the right words.”

 

Her segment then cut to a clip of Trump, who, when asked how he was holding up after Kirk’s death, responded: “I’ve been very good. They just started construction for the new ballroom for the White House.”