ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel Live After Comments on Charlie Kirk Shooting

ABC News (Lean Left bias) and its parent company, Disney, have indefinitely pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live from its schedule after backlash on Kimmel’s comments about the recent fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.

Kimmel’s Comments: During his monologue, 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 and doing everything they can to score political points from it.” He also criticized flags being flown at half mast in honor of Kirk, and President Trump’s response to the assassination, saying, "This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a gold fish.”

The Backlash: The comments drew condemnation from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr, who said, they “appear to be an action by Jimmy Kimmel to play into the narrative that this was somehow a MAGA or Republican-motivated person” and “broadcasters … have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest.” Nexstar Media, an ABC affiliate, said it “strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel” and “will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.”

How the Media Covered It: Fox News (Right) highlighted criticism from Nexstar's broadcasting chief, Andrew Alford, and others at the FCC. Variety (Lean Left) said the decision “puts a spotlight on how frightened traditional media companies have become” under the second Trump administration. Both Fox News and BBC (Center) mentioned Tyler Robinson’s alleged left-leaning views; he has been accused of assassinating Kirk. BBC wrote that Robinson was not registered to any political party and did not vote in the 2022 or 2024 elections. 

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