Late-night television is in an uproar, and it all started with a stunning announcement: Jimmy Kimmel’s popular talk show is off the air indefinitely. This news sent shockwaves, quickly impacting other stars in the industry.
One immediate consequence surfaced when Jimmy Fallon, another big name in late-night, pulled out of a planned appearance. He was scheduled to speak at the Fast Company Innovation Festival this Thursday, September 18. "Unfortunately, Jimmy Fallon will no longer be able to attend today’s session," the festival stated in a release, as reported by Deadline.
Fallon, 50, was set to chat with Bozoma St. John about their new NBC series, On Brand. Festival representatives didn’t offer any more details to a Deadline reporter about why he withdrew. His sudden exit came just a day after the bombshell dropped about Kimmel’s show being suspended.
"Jimmy Kimmel Live will be suspended indefinitely," an ABC spokesperson told Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 17. That night, viewers saw a rerun of Celebrity Family Feud instead. The drama began because Nestar Media, a company owning several TV networks, reportedly threatened to remove Jimmy Kimmel Live! from its lineup. Nestar Media issued a statement to Variety on Wednesday, saying they "firmly" disagreed with Kimmel’s recent comments about Charlie Kirk’s murder. Us Weekly reached out to Kimmel for his side of the story.
The whole controversy began days earlier when Kimmel, 57, joked about Kirk and his alleged killer, Tyler Robinson. Kirk, a conservative political activist, was shot dead at an event at Utah Valley University on September 10. Kimmel brought up the topic on Monday, September 15. "Over the weekend, we hit new lows with the MAGA crowd desperately trying to characterize this guy who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything but one of their own, using everything possible to gain political mileage from it," Kimmel said. He added, "Amidst the accusations, there was mourning."
Kimmel then showed a video of President Donald Trump. In the clip, Trump was asked about coping with Kirk’s death, but he spoke about building the White House ballroom instead. Kimmel poked fun, saying Trump was taking the news "hard" and joked: "He’s in the fourth stage of grief, construction. It’s demolition, construction." Kimmel didn’t stop there. He continued, "That’s not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. That’s how a four-year-old grieves a goldfish."
So far, Kimmel has remained quiet and hasn’t spoken publicly about the swirling controversy. Meanwhile, Tyler Robinson, the alleged killer, is in prison. He faces charges including aggravated murder with capital punishment and a felony for firing a gun. He also has multiple charges for obstructing justice, tampering with witnesses, and committing a violent crime in front of a minor.