Los angeles: The American Broadcasting Company (ABC), one of the major television networks in the United States, announced Wednesday that it has suspended the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show "indefinitely" after controversial comments by its host about the conservative activist and influencer Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot last week.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Nexstar Media Group, Inc. announced in a statement that the company's owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will preempt "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" for the foreseeable future beginning with Wednesday night's show. Nexstar owns America's largest local television broadcasting group comprising top network affiliates, with more than 200 owned or partner stations reaching 220 million people, as noted on its website.
"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," the statement read. Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar's broadcasting division, emphasized that Kimmel's comments were "offensive and insensitive" and did not reflect the spectrum of opinions and values of the local communities they serve.
Shortly after the release of the statement, NBC News quoted an ABC spokesman as saying that "'Jimmy Kimmel Live' will be pre-empted indefinitely." In Monday night's monologue, Kimmel suggested that Tyler Robinson, the suspect in Kirk's killing, could have been a pro-Trump Republican, which sparked significant backlash.
The controversy comes amid political tensions, with U.S. President Donald Trump and senior administration officials accusing the "radical left" of being responsible for Kirk's death, countering claims from Democrats about political violence on both sides.
In a development on Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr, in an interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson, threatened potential actions against Disney and its subsidiary ABC over Kimmel's comments. Carr mentioned the possibility of revoking licenses of ABC affiliate stations as a penalty.
However, FCC commissioner Anna Gomez, the only Democrat on the panel, criticized the chair's stance on the social platform X, arguing that political violence should not be used as a reason for censorship and control. Gomez expressed concern over the government's increasing suppression of lawful expression.
"Jimmy Kimmel Live" is one of several nationally recognized late-night talk shows in the country.