A Terrible Precedent Continues By Taking Kimmel Off Air Over Charlie Kirk Comments
ABC has removed Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the air “indefinitely.” A report from Deadline confirms that ABC pulled the host from the show following Nexstar’s decision to cut Jimmy Kimmel Live! from 200 television stations nationwide. Nexstar is the largest local broadcast network in the United States.
“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, President of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
Nexstar and ABC’s move follow Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr telling right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson on Wednesday that comments made by Kimmel during his Monday night broadcast were “the sickest conduct possible.” Carr threatened Disney, ABC’s parent company, in the hours before Nexstar pulled the show and ABC suspended Kimmel.
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“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,” Carr told Johnson. “They have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest.”
For context, the exact statement from Kimmel that has sparked this absolute cowardice from ABC is as follows: “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.”
None of that statement is untrue. From the moment the bullet struck Kirk, the Republican Party has spent every single minute trying to demonize the Democratic Party and any political dissidents in order to push for more fascist policies and the shrinking of free speech. Louisiana Republican Representative Clay Higgins has already called for lifetime social media bans and the revoking of business licenses for anyone who criticizes or “belittles” the murder of Kirk. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash hell on leftists in recent days in response to Kirk’s shooting, while barely pausing to mourn the 31-year-old right-wing activist as he gloats about his ballroom expansion plans.
The podcaster, who was recently parodied on South Park, was known for belittling certain types of gun violence, creating databases of left-leaning professors and his inflammatory “prove me wrong” debate style was a longtime supporter of Trump.
It’s also important to note that Kimmel’s comments on Monday night were also not the only comments the late-night show host made about Kirk. On the September 11th edition of Live!, Kimmel said that there were “extraordinarily vile responses from both sides of the political spectrum” regarding Kirk’s death and took particular aim at Trump’s attempt to sow further divide following an act of political violence.
“Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?” Kimmel pleaded. “On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.”
None of that will be taken into consideration, nor will Kimmel’s right to speak freely and critically of the president and the party Kirk belonged to. The party of free speech and personal liberty has proven — yet again — that they will stop at nothing in order to maintain complete cultural and political dominance over this country. With the removal of two late-night hosts who spoke in opposition to Trump in three months, it’s clear that the authoritarian playbook is being followed closely.
Carr has already thanked the corporations for their immediate compliance in silencing Kimmel. “I want to thank Nexstar for doing the right thing,” the chairman wrote on X. “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.”
