Jimmy Kimmel has been taken off air ‘indefinitely” after comments the late-night TV show host made about right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk following his death.
Charlie Kirk died on 10 September after he was shot in the neck during an event at a Utah university.
Now, ABC have pulled late-night TV show host Jimmy Kimmel after comments he made about the shooting of Kirk.
A spokesperson for the network owned by Disney said that “Jimmy Kimmel Live will be pre-empted indefinitely.”
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This comes after Kimmel said earlier this week on one of his shows that the “Maga gang” was trying to score political points off the assassination of Kirk.
He said on Monday: “The Maga Gang desperately trying to characterise 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 then played a clip of Trump speaking to reporters who ask him how he is feeling after Kirk’s death. Trump immediately starts rambling on about construction of a new ballroom at the White House, seemingly non-plussed by his ‘friend’s’ death.
Kimmel said: “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”
On the day of Kirk’s death, Kimmel took to Instagram to condemn the attack and send “love” to Kirk’s family.
Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, an ABC affiliate, said it “strongly objects” to Kimmel’s comments.
Friday’s scheduled episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live will now be replaced by a Charlie Kirk tribute on some ABC stations.
Media conglomerate Sinclair said it would be airing the tribute on its ABC affiliate stations, and has offered the special to all other ABC stations in the US.
Reacting to the announcement, Donald Trump congratulated ABC and said it was “great news for America.”
The move has been widely condemned from Democrats and others, who have highlighted how Kimmel’s removal is the latest example of the Trump administration silencing critics and opponents.