ABC Placing "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on "Indefinite Hiatus" Following Comments Regarding Charlie Kirk's Killer
The move comes after one station group planned to pull the program anyway.
ABC is removing Jimmy Kimmel Live! from its lineup “indefinitely."
What Happening:
- According to THR, ABC has decided to suspend its late night staple Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
- A spokesperson for the network stated that the show would be “pre-empted indefinitely."
- This is in response to comments Kimmel made on his Monday night broadcast regarding the killing of Charlie Kirk.
- In that segment, Kimmel said, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it."
- After these comments gained traction, Nexstar Media Group announced that it would pre-empt Kimmel’s show from its 28 ABC affiliate stations, saying that the remarks were “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse."
- Additionally, while discussing Kimmel on a podcast, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr threatened to take action against ABC.
- Later, Carr issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, saying, “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."
- Kimmel recently won an Emmy — although that was for his work hosting Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which also airs on ABC.
What They’re Saying:
- Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division: “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 pre-empt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue."