New York, 18 Sept

ABC has suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show indefinitely after his remarks on Charlie Kirk’s assassination triggered backlash from ABC affiliates.

Kimmel, on his Monday and Tuesday monologues, accused “MAGA land” of exploiting Kirk’s murder. Nexstar, which operates 23 ABC stations, called the comments “offensive and insensitive” and said it would stop airing the programme. ABC then pulled the show.

Kimmel said that Trump's response to Kirk's death “is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK?” He also said that FBI chief Kash Patel has handled the investigation into the killing “like a kid who didn't read the book, BSing his way through an oral report.”

Donald Trump hailed the move on Truth Social and urged cancellations of Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, too. Kimmel, whose contract runs until May 2026, has not commented.

Tyler Robinson, 22, is charged with killing Kirk. Investigators say he came from a conservative home but had shifted left in recent years.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, slammed Kimmel’s comments as “sick conduct” and said they misled viewers about Kirk’s killer. A conservative group has complained to ABC, while FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez warned against political pressure on the media.

The suspension follows CBS’s recent cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s show, which Trump had also cheered.