Late-night television saw a sudden shift on Wednesday, September 17. ABC made a quick programming change, pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! from its schedule. Viewers instead watched a rerun of Celebrity Family Feud, hosted by Steve Harvey, in the show’s usual time slot.
This unexpected move followed controversial remarks made by Jimmy Kimmel. An ABC spokesperson confirmed to Us Weekly that Kimmel’s program would be "suspended indefinitely." The decision came after backlash regarding comments the comedian made about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel, 57, sparked a firestorm just two days earlier, on Monday, September 15. During his monologue, he discussed Tyler Robinson, who faces charges for Kirk’s murder. Kirk, 31, had been shot and killed on September 10 while giving a lecture at Utah Valley University.
In his monologue, Kimmel suggested that some conservatives, including Utah Governor Spencer Cox, had sunk "to new lows." He criticized them for quickly assuming that Robinson, 22, was connected to the far-left.
"The MAGA crowd is desperately trying to portray this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything but one of them," Kimmel stated that Monday. "They are doing everything possible to gain political advantage from it. Among the accusations, there was also sorrow."
Robinson surrendered earlier this month. He faces charges of aggravated capital homicide and illegally firing a weapon. He also faces charges including obstructing justice, tampering with a witness, and committing a violent crime in front of a minor.
The controversial monologue drew strong reactions. Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), publicly called for Kimmel to apologize. He also hinted that ABC could face a "suspension."
"We can handle this the easy way or the hard way," Carr stated on The Benny Show on Wednesday. "These companies can change their actions and deal with Kimmel, or the FCC will need to take further steps."
According to reports from Variety, Disney-owned ABC ultimately decided to pull Kimmel’s show "indefinitely." This decision came after Nexstar Media threatened to remove the late-night program from its affiliates.
Nexstar informed Variety that its "owned and affiliated television stations, linked to the ABC Television Network, will replace Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the foreseeable future." This change started with Wednesday’s broadcast.
Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest ABC affiliate group in the country, also announced its plans. Beginning Friday, September 19, a special honoring Charlie Kirk will air in Kimmel’s regular time slot. A press release confirmed that this special would be available to all ABC affiliates across the country.
Kimmel has not yet commented publicly on the suspension of his show. The episode scheduled for Wednesday would have featured Wanda Sykes, Jay Shetty, and chef Christian Petroni. However, Kimmel had previously offered his condolences to the Kirk family after the Utah shooting.
"Instead of pointing fingers, can we, at least for one day, agree that shooting another human being is horrific and monstrous?" he wrote on Instagram on September 10. "On behalf of my family, we send our love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents, and innocent people who become victims of senseless gun violence."