In a recent development, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was put on indefinite hold this week following threats by the Trump administration. While it’s concerning to see ABC pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the air, it’s hardly surprising. Trump essentially broadcast it to the world on July 18, 2025, following the news that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert would be ending next year, with the president saying on Truth Social, via The Guardian, “I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next. Has even less talent than Colbert!”
The larger story at play involves both political and business considerations, with critics arguing that the administration’s actions raise concerns about free speech and the targeting of individuals critical of the President. The entire story surrounding Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been brewing in the background for years, with major corporations seeking to evade the scrutiny of the government, which has shown a willingness to abuse its power, while others are courting favor, hoping that such abuse can benefit them.
What Did Kimmel Say?
It certainly seems odd to imagine Jimmy Kimmel being let go for something offensive. He is typically thought of as one of the nicest and safest comedians on television. His show airs on ABC, and he’s appeared in numerous Disney projects. Kimmel has hosted the Academy Awards multiple times because he is a reliable comedian whom most people enjoy. Yet, despite “comedy being legal again,” comedians have increasingly faced scrutiny from the administration. What exactly did Kimmel say that was so controversial? Well, on Jimmy Kimmel Live‘s September 16, 2025, episode, during the opening monologue, he 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.”
What Kimmel commented on was how Kirk’s shooter, Tyler Robinson, was not the boogeyman that the Make America Great Again crowd wanted him to be. As one of Robinson’s former classmates told CNN, he was “politically conservative, and supported President Donald Trump ahead of the 2020 election.” At the time, little had been made public about the alleged shooter’s motivations, and his ideology remained unclear.
Kimmel didn’t say anything about Charlie Kirk, instead referencing the high-profile MAGA individuals who quickly tried to politicize the shooting. That included Laura Loomer, who posted on X, via The Guardian, shortly after the shooting, “It’s time for the Trump administration to shut down, defund & prosecute every single leftist organization. We must shut these lunatic leftists down. Once and for all. The left is a national security threat.”
Many in the MAGA camp were offended by this implication. Some groups that have criticized cancel culture also supported and celebrated Jimmy Kimmel Live! being taken off the air (the series is not canceled as of this moment, just on hold.)
As a private company, Disney and ABC technically are allowed to air or not air whatever programming they want. That in itself is not a free speech issue. However, this was not the case, as Rolling Stone reported that many Disney executives didn’t think Kimmel had said anything over the line, but feared retaliation from the Trump administration. Disney and ABC were essentially pressured by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chair Brendan Carr to take action or face consequences. This raises significant First Amendment concerns.
How the FCC Weaponized Broadcast Affiliates
On September 17, at 10:01 a.m., alt-right media pundit Benny Johnson shared (via X) a clip from his podcast, The Benny Show, featuring an interview he had with Carr. In the interview, Carr suggested his FCC could move to revoke ABC affiliate licenses as a way to force Disney to punish Kimmel for his comments. Here is the quote from Carr that Benny Johnson reposted:
“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead. They have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest. There are calls for Kimmel to be fired. I think you could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this.”
The quote continues: “The FCC could make a strong argument that this is sort of an intentional effort to mislead the American people about a very core fundamental fact, a very important matter. Disney needs to see some change here, but the individual licensed stations that are taking their content, it’s time for them to step up and say this, you know, garbage to the extent that that’s what comes down the pipe in the future isn’t something that we think serves the needs of our local communities. But, this sort of status quo is obviously not acceptable where we are.”
Some have interpreted Carr’s comments as a veiled threat from the government agency to a private company to censor an employee for comments that aren’t specifically about the Trump administration, but a possible suggestion that Charlie Kirk’s shooter might have had right-wing beliefs. The “public interest” that Carr implies networks need to serve is seemingly one that supports the current political regime, and anything critical of it is “garbage.” Carr is not only threatening a company but also calling on its licensed stations to retaliate. Nexstar answered that call.
Nexstar Media Company is the largest television station owner in the United States. On August 19, 2025, just over a month before Nexstar refused to air Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the company announced that it was purchasing Tegna, Inc. for $6.2 billion. Because of this, Nexstar will need the Trump administration’s approval to acquire Tegna, as well as the FCC’s approval to loosen the government’s limits on broadcast station ownership.
Nexstar oversees more than 200 owned and partner stations in 116 markets nationwide. Tegna owns 64 news stations across 51 markets, which would give Nexstar even more control over what is broadcast in other markets. Observers suggested that Nexstar’s actions may have been influenced by a desire to maintain favorable relations with the FCC during its pending acquisition review.
At 3 p.m. PT, just five hours after Carr’s call for licensed stations to retaliate, Nexstar released a statement saying it would not air Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The statement read: “Nexstar 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.” President of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, Andrew Alford, added:
“Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”
Minutes later, Disney and ABC announced that they would be pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely. Disney and ABC’s decision drew criticism from those who saw it as yielding to political pressure from the administration. Disney is now facing backlash, as many are canceling their Disney+ subscriptions, and creative talents are refusing to work with the company until the decision is reversed. It is worth noting that Disney also requires the FCC’s approval to acquire the NFL Network.
FCC head Brendan Carr certainly showed his bias in the situation. On X, he praised Nexstar’s decision, which can be seen below.
It’s interesting to see how Carr’s position has changed since 2020.
This would not be the first time that Nexstar has sought favor with the Trump administration. On November 13, 2023, Truth Social filed lawsuits against 19 publications that reported inaccurate information regarding their earnings, including The Hill, a publication owned by Nexstar. According to Semafor, on “December 1, 2023, Truth Social dropped The Hill‘s parent company, a giant in the local television business [Nexstar], from the lawsuit, noting that the companies had reached a settlement.”
The terms of the settlement were unclear, but Semafor said, “One person with direct knowledge of the situation told Semafor that Nexstar, eager to avoid Trump’s wrath, had agreed to fire the reporter in exchange for being dropped from the case, which a spokesperson for Nexstar, Gary Weitman, denied.” News reporter Olafimihan Oshin was fired just days after the settlement was reached.
In late 2021, Nexstar Media Company rebranded WGN America as NewsNation. The goal was to launch “an all-news, talk and opinion outlet,” said Nexstar chairman-CEO Perry Sook, via Variety. However, shortly after, some NewsNation employees departed the company due to concerns that management was pushing the network to lean towards right-wing politics in its news coverage. The departure was also partly due to the decision to bring on Bill Shine, Trump’s former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and former executive at Fox News, as a consultant to NewsNation, according to The New York Times.
Fox News Vice President Cherie Grzech was named managing editor of NewsNation in June 2021 and, in 2024, was promoted to Manager of News and Politics at both NewsNation and The Hill. NewsNation contributors include former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, and former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly. Many of those involved at NewsNation have direct ties to the former Trump administration, which has led critics to argue that the outlet leans toward conservative perspectives.
Nexstar acquired The CW in 2022 and quickly overhauled the network. It canceled many popular series in a cost-cutting measure. Gone was the channel’s identity as a hub for DC superhero shows and sci-fi teen dramas. Instead, the network opted for cheaper reality-based television shows and imports of Canadian shows. Wonder why The CW suddenly shifted programming and became unrecognizable? Blame Nexstar Media Group. Nexstar also utilizes its ownership of The CW to air segments of NewsNation to fill out its broadcast schedule. Instead of a fourth season of Stargirl, they opted for specials featuring Bill O’Reilly.
Yet it isn’t just Nexstar that caved. Sinclair, the second-largest television station operator in the United States behind Nexstar Media Group, released its own statement saying it would also not air Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its ABC affiliates. Sinclair went a step further in its statement, saying it will “not lift the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on our stations until formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability.”
The company is also asking for Kimmel to make an apology to Charlie Kirk’s family (mind you, Kimmel didn’t say anything about Kirk). They also ask that he donate to Turning Point USA, a conservative non-profit founded by Kirk that promotes Christian Nationalism, and publicizes a watchlist of college professors who “pushed leftist agendas.” This has been criticized by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) for posts not having anything to do with the classroom but “concern faculty members’ social media posts or scholarly publications,” and that “In a number of instances, listings have led to campaigns of online harassment against faculty members.”
It is concerning for a company to request that Kimmel donate funds to that organization, but it might also speak to how the various organizations that own the news broadcasts are now tied to the government, out of either fear of retaliation or a desire to curry favor with business.
This entire situation calls to mind a quote from Kent Brockman on the 400th episode of The Simpsons: “Friends, the press and the government are in bed together in an embrace so intimate and wrong, they could spoon on a twin mattress and still have room for Ted Koppel.”
What happened to Jimmy Kimmel Live! is worrying, as it appears that freedom of the press and freedom of speech only apply to those who speak in favor of the President, and critical perspectives will face greater scrutiny. Such tactics are reminiscent of strategies used in authoritarian systems, where criticism of leaders is suppressed, so what does that say about America right now?
- Release Date
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January 26, 2003
- Network
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ABC
