Late Night Television

Jimmy Kimmel pulled off air over ‘offensive’ Charlie Kirk comments

Source: RT

September 17, 2025 at 21:05

Jimmy Kimmel at a premiere at Nederlander Theatre on August 18, 2025 in New York. © John Nacion / Variety / Getty Images

The talk show host accused “the MAGA gang” of scoring political points from Kirk’s murder

US comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show has been pulled off the air indefinitely over comments he made about the assassination of conservative organizer and podcaster Charlie Kirk.

Nexstar Media Group said on Wednesday that its stations affiliated with ABC will “preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the foreseeable future beginning with tonight’s show.”

“Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located,” said Andrew Alford, head of Nexstar’s broadcasting division.

Airing Kimmel’s show is “simply not in the public interest at the current time,” Alford added, saying the decision was made “in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.” A spokesperson for ABC later confirmed that Kimmel’s show will be pulled indefinitely.

Kirk was killed by a sniper on September 10 while speaking to students at a college in Utah. Prosecutors charged Tyler Robinson with the murder, saying his own family described his views as left-leaning and pro-LGBTQ. According to prosecutors, Robinson confessed to killing Kirk in text messages to his transgender romantic partner.

During his opening monologue on Monday, Kimmel said, “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.” He went on to accuse conservatives of “doing everything they can to score political points” and mocked President Donald Trump.

“This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish,” Kimmel added.

Conservative public figures, including Vice President J.D. Vance, have blamed “left-wing extremism” for political violence. Dozens of people have since lost their jobs or been suspended for mocking Kirk or justifying his murder.