The television world was caught off guard this week as Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suddenly pulled from ABC’s schedule. The popular late-night show only managed to air two new episodes before the network decided to put it on hold indefinitely. This abrupt stop followed a wave of backlash concerning comments made by host Jimmy Kimmel about the death of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel, who is 57 years old, welcomed guests like John Oliver from Last Week Tonight on Monday, September 15, and actor Rob Lowe on Tuesday, September 16. However, things quickly changed. On Wednesday, September 17, ABC confirmed that the show was "suspended" without a return date. This decision came right after a major media company, Nexstar Media Group, announced its own plans. Nexstar owns and runs 32 ABC-affiliated TV stations across the United States. They declared they would no longer broadcast Kimmel’s show.
A spokesperson for ABC confirmed the indefinite suspension to entertainment news outlet Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 17. Earlier that same day, Nexstar released a statement. They said their "owned and operated television stations affiliated with the ABC network will cease airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the foreseeable future, starting with tonight’s program." Nexstar added, "Nexstar strongly rejects Mr. Kimmel’s recent comments regarding the murder of Charlie Kirk and will replace the program with other programming on its ABC-affiliated markets."
The comments that sparked all this controversy happened during Monday’s show. Kimmel spoke about Kirk’s death, saying, "The MAGA gang is desperately trying to characterize this guy who murdered Charlie Kirk as something other than one of them and doing their best to make political capital out of that." He was talking about Tyler Robinson, the suspect arrested and charged in connection with Kirk’s death. Kirk was tragically shot dead on September 10 while giving a talk at Utah Valley University. He was 31 years old.
The sudden halt meant several celebrity guests who were set to appear later in the week had their plans canceled. Stars like Wanda Sykes and Chelsea Handler were scheduled to join Kimmel, but their appearances never happened.
Here’s a look at the week’s planned schedule for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, showing who made it to air and who didn’t:
Episodes That Aired
Monday, September 15
- John Oliver
- Frank Grillo
- Musical Guest: Zac Brown Band
Tuesday, September 16
- Rob Lowe
- Grace Van Patten
- Musical Guest: Margo Price
Canceled Episodes
Wednesday, September 17
- Wanda Sykes
- Jay Shetty
- Chef Christian Petroni
Thursday, September 18
- Chelsea Handler
- Bill Nye
- Musical Guest: The Swell Season
Friday, September 19
- Guests to be confirmed