ABC Suspends ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Following FCC Demand
Jimmy Kimmel on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’. Photo: ABC.
Preview:
- ABC has indefinitely suspended ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’
- An affiliate had pulled the show following the host’s comments on political reactions to the Charlie Kirk Assassination.
- Hollywood has reacted to the move.
Following the cancellation of ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ that had observers worried it was a political move, another late night TV host has seen an even stronger reaction from its network.
Popular host Jimmy Kimmel of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ has seen his show put on indefinite hold (with real concerns it won’t ever return) following comments on the political reaction to the Charlie Kirk assassination that caused a reaction from the FCC and particularly an ABC affiliate that immediately pulled the show from its stations.
Here’s the comment that Kimmel made on Monday that led to the suspension and the FCC weighing in on the issue:
“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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What else happened with ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’?
Jimmy Kimmel on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’. Photo: ABC.
Kimmel had intended to offer some clarification and address the backlash on his Wednesday night show, but the series is now on hold.
New information has come to light that the Nexstar company in charge of the affiliates is in the midst of a pricey merger deal, which requires FCC approval. And Hollywood –– including the Writers Guild of America and actors union SAG-AFTRA –– have voiced their outrage about the move.
Even former President Barack Obama weighed in:
“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. This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it.”
Kimmel suspension: the FCC responds
(L to R) Guillermo Rodriguez and Jimmy Kimmel on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’. Photo: ABC.
Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr had threatened to take further action against ABC if the show wasn’t taken off the air.
Here’s what Carr said in a statement:
“I want to thank Nexstar for doing the right thing. Local broadcasters have an obligation to serve the public interest. While this may be an unprecedented decision, it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community values. I hope that other broadcasters follow Nexstar’s lead.”
When will ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ return to screens?
There is, at time of writing, no information on when (or if) the show might come back. Kimmel had been contracted into 2026, but this may encourage him to seek a platform elsewhere.
‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,’ meanwhile, is scheduled to be on the air until the end of its current season in May 2026.
‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ during Thursday’s September 11, 2025 show. Photo: Scott Kowalchyk ©2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.