Politicians, media figures and free speech organisations have expressed alarm at the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show amid spate of firings related to remarks about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
This came as ABC announced that “Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be preempted indefinitely,” due to comments made by the popular chat show’s host about the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Pre-empting means ABC will broadcast another show in the slot instead.
ABC’s decision to suspend Kimmel came just minutes after one of the biggest owners of TV stations in the US, Nexstar Media, said it “strongly object[ed]” to his comments and would preempt any episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! set to air on the stations it owns across the country “for the foreseeable future.”
Announcing the move, Nexstar Media President Andrew Alford said that Kimmel’s comments were “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse.”
In his monologue on Monday, Kimmel said that “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.”
On Tuesday, he said that Trump was “fanning the flames” by attacking people on the left.
Kimmel’s comments also drew condemnation from Brendan Carr, the Chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the independent US government TV, radio and internet regulator.
Before ABC pulled Kimmel, Carr had urged local broadcasters to stop airing the show, saying they were “running the possibility of fines or licensed revocation from the FCC” during an appearance on the rightwing commentator Benny Johnson’s podcast.
California Governor, Gavin Newsom called the firing of commentators and cancelling of shows “coordinated” and “dangerous.” He went on to say that the Republican party “does not believe in free speech. They are censoring you in real time.”
Chris Murphy said it was likely the start of a campaign to “use the murder of Charlie Kirk as a pretext to use the power of the White House to wipe out Trump’s critics and his political opponents.”
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression also criticised ABC’s decision. “Another media outlet withered under government pressure,” the free speech advocacy group said.
Truth Wins Out (TWO), a nonprofit dedicated to exposing extremism, said that the move was part of a rightwing “Cancel Crusade” that has “weaponised outrage to silence dissent and intimidate media outlets.”
“This is a new McCarthyism that has expanded the boundaries of ‘woke’ to once unimaginable dimensions. It is chilling the free press and punishing truth‑tellers.”
Truth Wins Out (TWO),
Two of Hollywood’s biggest unions, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild, voiced their support for Jimmy Kimmel after his show was suspended by ABC.
WGA West noted in a statement, “As a Guild, we stand united in opposition to anyone who uses their power and influence to silence the voices of writers, or anyone who speaks in dissent.”
“If free speech applied only to ideas we like, we needn’t have bothered to write it into the constitution. What we have signed on to – painful as it may be at times – is the freeing agreement to disagree. Shame on those in government who forget this founding truth.”
Writers Guild of America (WGA)
Kimmel is not alone in being sanctioned for comments in the aftermath of the Kirk killing. His show’s cancellation is the latest in a spate of firings over the past week, brought on by a conservative backlash to public comments about Kirk’s killing that have been deemed insensitive.
Journalists, academics, airline employees, doctors and restaurant workers across the United States have been fired or investigated by their employers over the past week for comments deemed insensitive on the killing of Charlie Kirk.
The firings at a moment of rising political tensions in the US have ignited debates over the limits of free speech, cancel culture, doxxing and labour protections, as well as the legacy of Kirk.
Trump Welcomes News Of Kimmel’s Show Suspension
Meanwhile, US President, Donald Trump and figures aligned to his MAGA movement welcomed the news of Kimmel’s show suspension.
In a post on social media, Trump called it “Great News for America.” He stated, “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” adding, “Kimmel has ZERO talent.”
The US President, who is on a state visit to the UK and hours earlier had attended a banquet hosted by King Charles, also appeared to encourage the NBC network to cancel other late night shows hosted by Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers.
Nancy Mace, a Republican South Carolina representative who is running to be governor of South Carolina, celebrated in an impassioned post on X, claiming “We’re on a truth streak. President Trump is always right, YOU’RE FIRED.”
Deputy White House Chief of staff and Cabinet Secretary, Taylor Budowich, called it “consequence culture.”
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