ABC announced on Wednesday (September 17) that it will indefinitely suspend the airing of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” due to controversial remarks made by the show’s host regarding conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, which led to criticism from the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
In a recent episode, Kimmel made a controversial opening monologue about the perpetrator of Kirk’s assassination. He said, “This weekend, we saw the ‘Make America Great Again’ (MAGA) camp hit a new low, desperately trying to distance themselves from the kid who killed Charlie Kirk and score political points in the process.”
He was referring to Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the stabbing incident at Utah Valley University involving Kirk on September 10.
Before ABC’s announcement to halt the show, Nexstar Media Group had already stated that it would stop airing the program on its 32 affiliate ABC television stations.
Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar Broadcasting, stated, “Mr. Kimmel’s comments on the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and lacking sensitivity at a crucial moment in our national political discourse.”
Kimmel’s remarks also drew criticism from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.
During an interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson on September 17, Carr described Kimmel’s comments as an attempt to “paint a narrative: that this attacker was driven by ‘Make America Great Again’ or Republican ideals.”
He said, “What people may not fully appreciate is that broadcast entities… hold licenses from us at the FCC, which means they have an obligation to serve the public interest.”
Carr stated that his agency has “ample grounds” to take action against Kimmel, ABC, and its parent company Disney, as they have disseminated politically motivated misinformation.
He said, “I believe there’s enough there for him (Kimmel) to be suspended. The FCC can make a strong case that this is a deliberate effort to mislead the American people, involving a very core and important issue.”
Carr mentioned that broadcast entities airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live” may face investigations, fines, or license revocations for their actions.
The original article “ABC Halts ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ Indefinitely After Charlie Kirk Remarks” was published in English by the Epoch Times.