Reese Kubick '29

by Reese Kubick '29 on September 25, 2025

Just days after ABC indefinitely suspended comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s live show due to comments about the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, Kimmel returned with his Tuesday show.

Jimmy Kimmel has been on TV for over 20 years, starting in 2003 with the first episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! airing on ABC after the cancellation of Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher in 2002. Kimmel has remained out of the “political heat” for many years, he even did an interview with President Trump before the 2016 election. In 2017, Kimmel started to become more of a so-called “liberal activist” after making a dig at President Trump while hosting the Oscars. Kimmel has not been shy about sharing his political views since then, making many digs at the Republican Party, specifically Trump supporters. 

Jimmy Kimmel Live! came to a halt on Wednesday, Sept. 17, after his comments about the recent shooting of Charlie Kirk. Kimmel’s main focus of this monologue was on the alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson. The comedian stated: “The MAGA Gang [is] 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.” Kimmel also said Trump’s response “is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK?” Then, Kimmel mocked Vice President Vance’s performance as a guest on Kirk’s podcast on Tuesday night.

The decision to suspend the show was made because ABC, a subsidiary of Disney, sells its content to Sinclair and Nexstar, both companies that own hundreds of TV stations.  Jimmy Kimmel Live! sells its content to ABC. Sinclair and Nexstar make their money by selling TV ads, and the more viewers they buy from big companies like Disney, the more they can charge for the ad space.

Allegedly, the advertising customers of Nexstar and Sinclair were upset with what Kimmel said and threatened to pull ads from that time slot. Additionally, Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), said to ABC/Disney: “This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way…[D]isney needs to see some change here, but the individual licensed stations that are taking their content, it’s time for them to step up…[T]here’s calls for Kimmel to be fired, I think you could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this.” Later, Sinclair told ABC that they were going to replace Kimmel’s former airtime with something else, resulting in the halting of Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Sinclair announced its plans to replace Kimmel’s timeslot on ABC with a special honoring Charlie Kirk on Friday, Sept. 19. The company made a statement saying, “The special will air at all Sinclair stations and be offered to ABC affiliates nationwide.” 

Sinclair Vice Chairman, Jason Smith, came out with a statement saying the following: “Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country…[W]e 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.” Sinclair confirms they 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.”  In addition to stopping the show, Sinclair also called Kimmel to make a direct apology to Kirk’s family and to make a personal donation to his family and his organization, Turning Point USA. 

ABC had previously pulled the Kimmel show indefinitely, with no signs of its return. However, on Monday, Sept. 22, it was announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return to the air. The late-night show will return to ABC on Tuesday night, but not all of ABC’s affiliated stations will be showing Kimmel’s show. Sinclair will continue to keep Kimmel’s show off its stations; instead, Sinclair will air news programming in the time slot. 

When Kimmel returned on Tuesday night, he emphasized, “It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.” He then spoke on the importance of protecting our ability to live in a country that allows for shows like his—ultimately pointing to the importance of creative expression and the necessity for humor in dark times. Kimmel also made sure to state that “a government threat to silence a comedian the president doesn’t like is anti-American.” Republican Senators Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and Mitch McConnell all expressed reservations about FCC Chair Carr’s actions. President Trump tweeted on Truth Social, “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back.” The firing and subsequent rehiring of Kimmel raises questions about the application of the First Amendment, especially for those using it to speak out against the powerful.