James “Jimmy” Kimmel’s decades-old late-night talk show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, was pulled off the air “indefinitely” this September due to comments regarding the fatal shooting of political debater Charlie Kirk. In the wake of the program’s unexpected suspension, public scrutiny and conversations regarding free speech in America have been swirling online.
The controversy began on Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, when Kimmel’s topic of choice for the night’s monologue covered the Republican Party’s response to the killing of Kirk and, more specifically, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who has been identified as the shooter. Kimmel criticized the current administration for its immediate response to the murder, where many, including President Donald Trump mere hours after the shooting, concluded that the killer was from the Democratic Party without prior evidence.
Kimmel said, “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.”
On Tuesday night’s episode, the last episode “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” aired before its abrupt suspension, Kimmel continued his criticism from the night prior, stating, “Many in MAGA-land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.”
That was not the first time Kimmel had commented on Kirk’s killing. In a post made to Instagram on Sept. 10, 2025, the day of the fatal shooting, Kimmel noted, “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.”
After netizens flocked to social media to comment on the issue, Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), weighed in on Wednesday afternoon. Carr seemed to threaten the broadcasters who air “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” by announcing on a conservative-led podcast that “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” This was quickly followed up with Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar announcing they would pull the show for an undisclosed length of time.
Just two days after Kimmel’s initial Monday night broadcast, on Sept. 17, 2025, ABC and its parent company Walt Disney Co. abruptly suspended the talk show. In a statement made to PEOPLE, Nextar’s President of their broadcasting division, Andrew Alford, claimed that Kimmel’s comments regarding Kirk’s death were “offensive” and “insensitive.”
President Trump commented on the show’s suspension with a post made to TruthSocial, congratulating ABC’s decision. “Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible,” posted Trump.
This is in reference to an earlier incident from July when Stephen Colbert, fellow host of a long-running late-night talk show, had his program shuttered after he criticized a settlement made between the current president and Paramount, though Colbert has been allowed to finish out the final season.
Politicians and comedians alike are currently rallying in support of Kimmel, commenting on the dangers of suppressing free speech. On X, former President Barack Obama posted, “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.”
Comedians such as Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers are just a few of those in support of Kimmel. Meyers, late-night host and comedian, mentioned during his late-night show, “Trump promised to end government censorship and bring back free speech, and he’s doing the opposite…”
Kimmel and his show, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” have come to an agreement with ABC as of Sept. 22, 2025, and are scheduled to make a return to the network on Sept. 23, 2025, after a tumultuous week-long suspension.
