What Did Jimmy Kimmel Say About Charlie Kirk? Inside the Firestorm That Got His Late-Night Show Pulled Indefinitely

Jimmy Kimmel and his late-night show reached unprecedented lows following the comedian's controversial comments about Charlie Kirk's suspected shooter.

On his Jimmy Kimmel Live! monologue on September 15, the host claimed the "MAGA gang" was attempting to use Kirk's murder for political gain.

The right-wing activist was shot and killed at an event at Utah Valley University on September 10. Three days after his death, authorities confirmed they had arrested the suspected shooter, who has since been identified as Tyler Robinson.

"We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it," Kimmel said.

In an interview with YouTuber Benny Johnson on September 17, Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr appeared to threaten ABC affiliate licenses while condemning Kimmel's comments.

"[This] appears to be an action by Jimmy Kimmel to play into the narrative that this was somehow a MAGA or Republican-motivated person," Carr pointed out. "What people don't understand is that the broadcasters … have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest. When we see stuff like this, look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead."

When asked what other steps the FCC might take amid the backlash, Carr noted, "Calls for Kimmel to be fired — I think, you could certainly see a path forward for a suspension over this. You know, the FCC is going to have remedies."

Meanwhile, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez criticized Carr's threats, saying the "inexcusable act of political violence by one disturbed individual must never be exploited as justification for broader censorship or control."

In the post on X, Gomez claimed the administration is "increasingly using the weight of government power" to restrict lawful expression, "not because it glorifies violence or breaks the law, but because it challenges those in power or reflects views they oppose."

She concluded, "We must stand firm against every attempt to silence dissent, punish satirists and government critics, and erode individual liberty. To surrender our right to speak freely is to accept that those in power, not the people, will set the boundaries of debate that define a free society."

Shortly after Carr's interview aired, Nexstar issued a statement announcing its "owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the foreseeable future beginning with tonight's show."

"Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets," the statement continued.

Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar's broadcasting division, called Kimmel's comments about Kirk's death "offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse." He explained the remarks did not represent the full spectrum of views or values "of the local communities in which we are located."

"Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue," Alford continued.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Carr thanked Nexstar for doing the right thing following the controversial monologue.

"Local broadcasters have an obligation to serve the public interest. While this may be an unprecedented decision, it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community values. I hope that other broadcasters follow Nexstar's lead," he expressed.

After Nexstar announced it will not broadcast Kimmel's late-night show for the foreseeable future, an ABC spokesperson said Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be "preempted immediately."

A source told The Hollywood Reporter the network also heard from another station group about the show, suggesting a possible affiliate backlash may have factored into the outcome.