Jimmy Kimmel himself
Late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel recently sparked debate after his show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was suspended by ABC after controversial comments about right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk.
On September 15, during his monologue, Kimmel commented on the murder of longtime Trump partner Charlie Kirk, stating, “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”. The statement was immediately followed by backlash, calling Kimmel insensitive.
Pressure from the FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, urged ABC to suspend Kimmel’s show, expressing, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way”.
Trump quickly followed up, claiming the show was suspended due to low ratings, taking a hit at evening shows, claiming “They’re an arm of the democratic party”. He took to “Truth Social” to write, “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.” He went on to encourage NBC to cancel Kimmel’s “loser” peers: Jimmy Fallon and Seth Myers.
His show was suspended for six days. When making his return on air, an emotional Kimmel reflected, stating it was never his intention to make light of the murder of a young man. He continued on saying, “Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group”. Kimmel defended his right to free speech, criticizing Trump for attacking him.
The event sparked free speech concerns between the Trump administration and the government’s interference with the media.