ABC has indefinitely pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s television show off the airwaves after the late-night host sparked controversy with his remarks about the tragic death of Charlie Kirk. During the Monday, September 15th episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the 57-year-old comedian delved into recent events, including President Donald Trump's criticism of the NFL’s new "Kickoff Rule" and his derogatory reference to "‘sissy’ football."
Kimmel then shifted the conversation to Kirk, a right-wing political commentator who was fatally shot while speaking at a campus event at Utah Valley University on September 10th. Kirk was just 31 years old. Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with aggravated murder in connection with the incident.
“We witnessed some disturbing new lows over the weekend, with the MAGA crowd desperately attempting to distance themselves from the young man who murdered Charlie Kirk, and doing everything in their power to extract political gain from the tragedy,” Kimmel began. “Amidst all the blame-shifting, there was genuine mourning.”
“On Friday, the White House lowered its flags to half-staff, a move that drew some criticism, but on a human level, you could see how deeply the president was affected,” he continued.
A clip then interrupted Kimmel’s broadcast, showing Trump, 79, responding to reporters' questions after the shooting. One reporter offered condolences for the death of the president’s “friend” Kirk. When asked how he was coping, Trump replied, “I think I’m doing very well, and by the way, right where you see all those trucks, they’ve just started construction on the new ballroom for the White House.”
Trump went on to discuss the ballroom plans, promising it would “be a beauty.”
The cameras then returned to Kimmel. “Yes, he’s reached the fourth stage of grief: construction,” the comedian quipped.
“Demolition, construction,” Kimmel added. “This isn’t how a grown man mourns the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, okay?”
Kimmel then alleged that Trump’s seemingly indifferent remarks “weren’t a one-time occurrence,” showing a clip from the president’s September 12th appearance on Fox & Friends, where he recounted what he was doing when he received news of Kirk’s death.
“When I heard it, I was in the midst of, you know, building a great — for 150 years, they’ve wanted a ballroom at the White House, right? They don’t have a ballroom; they have to use tents on the lawn for President Xi when he comes over. If it rains, it’s a disaster,” Trump said.
Trump recalled being with architects, planning the “incredible” design for the ballroom, when someone entered and informed him, “‘Charlie Kirk is dead.’” The president said he was shocked by the news.
“And then we installed the most beautiful chandelier,” Kimmel said, as the cameras returned to him. “Sconces you wouldn’t believe.”
“There’s something seriously wrong with him, really,” Kimmel said, who had previously extended condolences to Kirk’s family while condemning violence. “Why are we building a $200 million ballroom in the White House? Could it be that he’s doing it intentionally to distract us from the Epstein list? By the time he’s out of office, the White House will have slot machines and a water slide.”
In a statement to PEOPLE on Wednesday, September 17th, Nexstar announced that its “owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the foreseeable future, beginning with tonight’s show.”
The statement added that the company “strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.”
Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, elaborated on the decision in a statement to PEOPLE, saying, “Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical juncture in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the diverse range of opinions, views, or values of the local communities we serve.”
Alford continued, “Continuing to provide Mr. Kimmel with a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at this time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we work towards the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”
