Jimmy Kimmel Live! pulled from schedules 'indefinitely' after Charlie Kirk comments

Popular late night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live has been pulled from schedules indefinitely, Nextstar media announced on Wednesday, following controversial comments made by the show's host regarding the death of Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

Nextstar Media, one of the biggest owners of TV stations in the U.S, shared the news with fans, which revealed the media conglomerate would "pre-empt" airings of the program in response to the comments made by Kimmel.

In a statement, a spokesperson said that 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."

The company also said it "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 backlash comes after Kimmel addressed Charlie Kirk's death in his opening monologue on Monday evening, with the host suggesting that the "MAGA gang" were trying to score political points over the activist's murder. Kirk was tragically shot dead on Sept 10 while taking part in a debate at Utah Valley University.

His killer, 22-Year-Old Tyler Robinson was arrested three days later and now faces a potential death penalty after being charged with aggravated murder. Additionally he has also been charged with felony discharge of firearm and witness tampering.

During Monday's broadcast, Kimmel opened the show saying: "We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterise this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them."

He also went on to mockPresident Trump's response to a question from the press about how he was mourning Kirk's death, which lead to the world leader bafflingly talking about the White House's new ballroom construction instead.

Following the comments, the Federal Communications Commission's Chairman Brendan Carr hit out at parent companyDisney and implored them to take Kimmel off air - something they appear to now have done.

Following the indefinite suspension of the show, he said he wanted "to thank Nexstar for doing the right thing" in a statement on social media. "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."

The decision has divided Americans however, who were already caught in a tense partisan divide over Charlie Kirk's death in the first place. In recent days, many prominent conservatives have called on for any critic of his work to be silenced - with some viewing the activist as a hero and martyr.

However many prominent liberals have taken issue with this, and argued justifiable criticism should remain valid, particularly given some of Kirk's own views on hot topic issues such as race, feminism, reproductive rights and gender identity.

Disney's decision now places an additional layer of scrutiny on the media, particularly in a day and age when both the White House and Federal Communications Commission have been quick to censor and silence views that should otherwise be protected by the first amendment.

President Trump himself has sued both both ABC News and CBS News for comments made by ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos in recent months, as well as suing over the editing of an interview with former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on "60 Minutes."

In both cases, the companies agreed to pay multi-million dollar settlements out of court, despite only having flimsy legal cases in the eyes of media experts.

The latest move also signals a shift away from political commentary and mockery on late night talk shows, with Kimmel being the second casualty to face the axe in recent months. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a prime battleground that has often seen Trump at the brunt of many jokes in recent years, will depart from our screens permanently in May 2026, ending a 33 year run that has dominated late night TV ratings in the US.

Parent company CBS announced earlier this year that it is retiring the late-night franchise due to financial decisions in a challenging late-night market. However this decision is reportedly not related to the show's performance, content, or other issues at Paramount - despite critics suggesting that Paramount's new leader, David Ellison, wishes to move towards catering for a more centrist viewership than liberal late-night audiences.