The world of late-night television took a sudden, unexpected turn recently. News broke that Jimmy Kimmel’s popular show was paused indefinitely. This left many wondering what was going on behind the scenes.
Jimmy Fallon, host of The Tonight Show, weighed in on the drama the very next day. During his show on Thursday, September 18, the 50-year-old host talked about 57-year-old Kimmel’s situation.
"Big news, guys, Jimmy Kimmel got suspended by ABC," Fallon started. "It happened after pressure from the FCC. Everyone’s thinking, ‘What in the world?’" He even mentioned his own father’s confusion. "My dad sent me 100 texts this morning saying, ‘Sorry your show got canceled.’ I told him, ‘That’s not me, it’s Jimmy Kimmel.’" Fallon added that he didn’t know the full story, and he felt nobody else did either. Still, he offered kind words for his fellow host. "I do know Jimmy Kimmel," he said. "He’s a good, caring, funny guy, and I hope he comes back."
Fallon then made a joke about censorship. He worried aloud that TV hosts might stop being able to speak freely. He promised to cover President Trump’s trip to the UK as he normally would. "Here we go," he announced. "President Trump just finished his three-day trip to the UK, and he looked…" Fallon trailed off. A voice then chimed in, saying, "incredibly handsome."
The gag continued with Fallon’s show. "As always, his tie was…" Fallon paused again, letting the voice finish, "Exactly the right length." He pushed on, "And his hair looked…" The voice quickly added, "better than Conrad’s in The Summer I Turned Pretty."
Fallon described another moment from the trip. "During the trip, protesters managed to project images onto the walls of Windsor Castle," he explained. These images showed Trump next to his "good friend Jeff…" The voice quickly supplied, "Goldblum." The playful back-and-forth went on through the opening segment. It ended with the voice saying, "I hereby nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize." Fallon then declared, "And you can quote me! See, we can still say what we want."
Earlier that same day, Fallon made headlines himself. He canceled a planned appearance in New York. He and Bozoma St. John were set to discuss their new NBC series, On Brand. Fast Company Innovation Festival announced the change on Thursday, as reported by Deadline. Representatives for the festival didn’t offer any more details on why Fallon pulled out.
So, why was Jimmy Kimmel’s show pulled? It all started a day earlier. News spread that Kimmel would be taken off the air. This followed some controversial comments he made about Charlie Kirk. Kirk was a conservative political activist who had recently passed away.
"Jimmy Kimmel Live will be suspended indefinitely," an ABC spokesperson confirmed to Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 17. Instead of Kimmel’s live show, a rerun of Celebrity Family Feud aired that Wednesday. Us Weekly reached out to Kimmel for his side of the story.
The uproar began on Monday, September 15. Kimmel had talked about Tyler Robinson, the person accused of killing Kirk. Kirk, 31, died after being shot at an event at Utah Valley University on September 10.
Kimmel didn’t hold back in his comments. "Over the weekend, we hit rock bottom," he said at the time. "The MAGA band was desperately trying to present this guy who killed Charlie Kirk as anything but one of their own." He felt they were trying to gain political points from the tragedy. Kimmel added, "Between the guilt, there was mourning."
Robinson is currently in jail. He faces serious charges, including aggravated murder with a capital penalty. He’s also accused of a felony for shooting a firearm. On top of that, he faces charges for stopping justice, tampering with witnesses, and committing a violent crime while a minor was present.
Kimmel also showed a video of former President Donald Trump. In the clip, Trump answered questions about Kirk’s death. He also talked to reporters about remodeling the White House ballroom. Kimmel joked that Trump was taking the news "very badly." He added, "He’s in the fourth stage of grief, construction. It’s demolition, construction."
Kimmel continued to criticize Trump’s reaction. "That’s not how an adult mourns the murder of someone he called a friend," he stated. "That’s how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish."
These strong remarks led to serious consequences. Nexstar Media reportedly threatened to cancel Kimmel’s show. The company, which owns many TV stations, told Variety in a Wednesday statement that they "strongly opposed" Kimmel’s "recent comments made in relation to the death of Charlie Kirk."