The decision by the US ABC television network to indefinitely suspend “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” commonly known as “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was not as abrupt as many had thought. The latest information indicates that the storm had been brewing between Disney and ABC higher-ups for days, with the warning to revoke the license issued by the FCC being the final blow that led to this decision.
On Monday, during his monologue on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” host Jimmy Kimmel referred to supporters of former President Trump as the “MAGA gang” when discussing conservative activist Charlie Kirk, accusing them of trying to “desperately turn the narrative around to suggest that the person who killed Charlie Kirk isn’t one of them,” and criticizing their attempts to “score political points.”
His remarks sparked discontent among right-wing commentators and brought the matter to the attention of Disney and ABC executives.
During Tuesday’s show, Kimmel went on to say, “Many in ‘MAGA-land’ are currently trying to exploit the murder of Charlie Kirk for their benefit.”
A source informed CNN that Kimmel had planned to address the backlash from the right-wing during Wednesday night’s program. The source mentioned that Kimmel’s planned monologue was “very hot,” directly targeting the “MAGA base.”
However, on Wednesday afternoon, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr appeared on a conservative radio program, threatening to revoke the licenses of ABC affiliates, which escalated the situation.
“It’s not just about ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!,’ it’s about the entire ABC network, all programs, and all employees,” a source involved in the internal discussions within the company told CNN.
A senior television news producer (not an ABC employee) mentioned, “For any broadcasting entity, there is nothing scarier than facing FCC fines or, worse, potential loss of radio broadcasting licenses.”
At this point, Disney executives decided to have a conversation with Kimmel, urging him to “tone down” the incendiary nature of his monologue.
However, the impact of the FCC warning quickly spread throughout the industry. One of the largest local TV station operators in the US, Nexstar Media, announced that they would no longer air Kimmel’s show for the foreseeable future, citing his comments about Kirk as “offensive and lacking sensitivity during a critical moment in our national political discourse.”
Sinclair Broadcast Group also followed suit in pulling the show. The company called on Kimmel to apologize to the Kirk family and make a “meaningful personal donation” to his political group, Turning Point USA.
Sinclair stated that its 38 local TV stations airing ABC programs would broadcast a tribute to Kirk during the original time slot of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Friday.
Ultimately, Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment Co-Chair Dana Walden decided to indefinitely suspend the show in an effort to protect Kimmel and the Disney brand from further controversy.
Sources mentioned that Walden and Kimmel share a longstanding good relationship and that she personally called him to discuss the next steps. However, the future course of action has not yet been decided. Kimmel has also not publicly commented on the suspension of the show.
Sources highlighted that Kimmel had always been able to freely express his views on Trump in the show without censorship. However, faced with the serious threat from the FCC, the company had to make a business decision.
President Trump celebrated ABC’s move on Truth Social, stating, “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what needed to be done.”
Several Hollywood figures expressed dissatisfaction with Kimmel’s suspension. Actor Ben Stiller wrote on social media, “This is not right.”
Comedian Michael Kosta, one of the hosts of “The Daily Show,” posted on his Instagram stories late Wednesday, saying, “This is a serious moment in American history. TV networks need to stand up. This is complete nonsense.”
“Hacks” actress Jean Smart expressed shock on Instagram about the show’s cancellation, stating, “What Jimmy said is about freedom of speech, not hate speech.”
Rosie O’Donnell, a long-time adversary of Trump, described the decision to pull Kimmel’s show as “unacceptable” on Instagram and commented that America “no longer exists.”
Apart from celebrities, several Democratic lawmakers in Congress condemned the decision, with some calling for FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to resign.
House Democrats stated in a Thursday (September 18) statement that Carr had “bullied ABC, Jimmy Kimmel’s employer, forcing the company to capitulate to the Trump administration, thereby tarnishing the responsibilities entrusted to him.”
Former President Barack Obama stated in a release, “After years of complaining about ‘cancel culture,’ the current government has taken it to a new, dangerous level: regularly threatening regulatory actions to force media companies to silence or fire journalists and commentators they dislike.”
FCC Chairman claimed that Kimmel had attempted to mislead the public by falsely claiming Robinson was a Trump supporter or conservative.
“This incident has left many people angry because this is no joke,” Carr told CNBC on Thursday. “It’s an attempt to directly mislead the American public about an important fact.”
He stated that Kimmel’s statements “obscure a crucial fact: this (Kirk’s assassination) could be one of the most serious political events and one of the most significant political assassinations in recent years.”
A day before, Carr had mentioned that under FCC jurisdiction, ABC, CBS, and NBC had specific obligations to “operate for public interest.”
Carr stated, “Broadcasters are different from any other form of communication.”
He mentioned that groups like Sinclair and Nexstar took action against Kimmel’s show because they wanted to “stand up and serve the interests of their communities.”
On Thursday, Trump mentioned that if TV networks aired a high percentage of negative views about his administration, broadcasting licenses could be revoked.
He told reporters on “Air Force One,” “I’ve read somewhere that these TV networks are 97% against me. I get 97% negative coverage, but I still won the election easily.” He was referring to the 2024 US Presidential Election.
“I won all seven swing states, won the popular vote, I won everything. And they have 97% against me, they’re just putting out negative propaganda on me…I would think their licenses should maybe be pulled.”