Jimmy Kimmel pulled off-air following FCC threats over Charlie Kirk comments

Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show was suspended indefinitely following the host's comments on the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Walt Disney-owned ABC said on Wednesday, Sept. 17, that it will indefinitely stop airing "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after the late-night host's comments about Kirk's assassination came under harsh criticism from the head of the Federal Communications Commission.

"'Jimmy Kimmel Live' will be pre-empted indefinitely," a spokesperson for the network said to USA TODAY in a statement. USA TODAY has reached out to Kimmel's representatives for comment. According to Reuters, Kimmel was seen Wednesday night leaving the El Capitan Theatre, where his show is taped, but did not respond to a request for comment.

During his Monday, Sept. 15 episode, Kimmel said the following: "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."

Utah prosecutors have since charged Tyler Robinson, 22, with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering. His precise motive remains unclear.

FCC, Nexstar, Sinclair and ABC pull Jimmy Kimmel show off-air

Brendan Carr, the chairman of the FCC, had seemingly threatened ABC, Disney and Kimmel over his monologue about Kirk during a YouTube episode of commentator Benny Johnson's show on Sept. 17.

"This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Carr said. "Disney needs to see some change here, but the individual licensed stations that are taking their content, it's time for them to step up and say this, you know, garbage to the extent that that's what comes down the pipe in the future isn't something that we think serves the needs of our local communities."

"There's calls for Kimmel to be fired," he added. "I think you could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this."

Following Carr's comments, Nexstar Media Group Inc. said it would stop airing the show on its 32 ABC affiliates. "Mr. Kimmel's comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse," said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar's broadcasting division.

Shortly after Nexstar announced its decision, ABC, which holds FCC-approved licenses for the local broadcast affiliates it owns, also stated that Kimmel would be pulled from the air.

Jimmy Kimmel timeslot replaced with Charlie Kirk special

The Sinclair Broadcast Group announced plans to replace Kimmel's ABC timeslot with a remembrance special honoring Kirk on Friday, Sept. 19. The special will air at all Sinclair stations and be offered to ABC affiliates nationwide, the broadcast company said in a Sept. 17 statement.

"Mr. Kimmel's remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country," Sinclair Vice Chairman Jason Smith said in a statement. "We believe broadcasters have a responsibility to educate and elevate respectful, constructive dialogue in our communities. We appreciate FCC Chairman Carr's remarks today and this incident highlights the critical need for the FCC to take immediate regulatory action to address control held over local broadcasters by the big national networks."

It clarified that Sinclair stations will not air "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" until "we are confident that appropriate steps have been taken to uphold the standards expected of a national broadcast platform."

The company also called for Kimmel to issue a direct apology to Kirk's family and to make a personal donation both to the family and Kirk's organization, Turning Point USA.

Donald Trump reacts to 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' suspension

President Donald Trump, who had attended a state dinner earlier Wednesday evening, took to Truth Social at 1 a.m. in the UK, writing, "Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible." Trump wrote in his social media statement that Kimmel was cancelled, while ABC called it a suspension.

Trump has repeatedly pressured broadcasters to stop airing content he has found objectionable. "That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC," Trump added. "Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT."

In July, Stephen Colbert announced that Paramount, CBS' parent company, planned to cancel "The Late Show." It sparked a heated debate in the entertainment industry over whether the decision was a thinly veiled political favor, as Paramount awaited approval for a merger before the Federal Communications Commission. Like Kimmel, Colbert is a frequent critic of the president.

A similar conversation is brewing after ABC, in December, paid $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump over anchor George Stephanopoulos' on-air description of the president's conduct in the E. Jean Carroll case.

What else did Jimmy Kimmel say about Charlie Kirk's death?

In a Sept. 11 episode of his show, Kimmel criticized Trump for saying Democrats were responsible for the fatal shooting of Kirk. "With all these terrible things happening, you would think that our president would at least make an attempt to bring us together, but he didn't," Kimmel said.

He then mentioned statements issued by former presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton regarding Kirk's death, adding that they tried to bring Americans together after tragedy.

"President Trump did not. Instead, he blamed Democrats for their rhetoric," Kimmel said.

Online reactions to Charlie Kirk's killing test First Amendment limits

Outside of Hollywood and the entertainment industry, judgment has come quickly for some social media commenters across the country over posts about Kirk in the days after his assassination.

Republican leaders and conservative commentators have warned Americans to mourn Kirk respectfully or suffer consequences, and some people have been fired or suspended after discussing the killing online.

A Phoenix sportswriter, a University of Mississippi faculty member, school employees in Idaho, Indiana and South Carolina, emergency workers, a theater professor and other university employees in Tennessee, and a Marine Corps recruiter have been among the professionals fired, suspended or put on leave over social media posts some people found offensive.

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Clemson University, The Joe Burrow Foundation and the Carolina Panthers were among organizations across the country that took action over social media posts by employees. In Nashville, leadership of a prominent restaurant group said staffers' comments had led to their terminations.

Contributing: Pamela Avila, Keith Sharon, Angele Latham, Cate Charron, USA TODAY; David Shepardson and Daniel Trotta, Reuters

This story has been updated to add new information and video.