Jimmy Kimmel fired: US’ media mogul ABC, announced the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! after his recent comments about Charlie Kirk and his death. They also declared that the decision would not be overturned because of “the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability.” However, the media company also announced that Sinclair’s ABC will air a special to honour the memory of Charlie Kirk during the same time slot.
The indefinite preempt of Kimmel’s late-night talk show came after his “inappropriate” and “deeply insensitive” remark, as per the Sinclair Vice Chairman’s Jason Smith statement. They also noted that a mere suspension was not enough, and sought “immediate regulatory action to address control over local broadcasters by the big national networks.”
Kimmel was also urged to issue a direct apology to the Kirk Family, along with a “meaningful personal donation” to them and Turning Point USA. Sinclair affirmed that their decision was irreversible about ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’, and it was not to return to ABC.
Why did Jimmy Kimmel say to get fired?
The sudden suspension of Jimmy Kimmel followed minutes after Nexstar Media Group also pulled his show on 32 ABC affiliates. Kimmel, on his show, called out Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old, found responsible for Charlie Kirk’s death. However, Kimmel also said that Robinson was associated with the MAGA campaign, US President Donald Trump’s flagship motto. He noted that the accused was part of the “MAGA Gang.”
In Kimmel’s words, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk…” He claimed that “Magaland” was working tirelessly to capitalise on this incident and took a jab at Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and FBI Director Kash Patel.
Kimmel is known for his overt opposition to Trump’s POTUS remarks, the NFL, and TikTok. Kimmel’s crass assessment of Kirk’s death also followed Trump’s comments earlier today. Commenting that Kimmel had “zero talent,” he also called out his contemporaries Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, and accused them of spreading fake news.
Interestingly, Charlie Kirk’s post from 2017 on X (formerly Twitter) resurfaced on social media. It read, “Jimmy Kimmel is not funny.” While no specific context was found to link the two personalities, several netizens spoke out in Kirk’s support after Kimmel’s show was indefinitely suspended from ABC.