During Jimmy Kimmel’s Monday evening (September 15) monologue, he suggested suspected shooter Tyler Robinson might have been a pro-Trump Republican.
An ABC spokesperson has confirmed with Deadline that Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been pulled “indefinitely” due to remarks Kimmel made in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
The news comes shortly after Nexstar canceled Kimmel’s late night show on the stations it owns throughout the United States.
“Nexstar’s 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 company said in a statement Wednesday (September 17). “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.”
Kirk, a prominent conservative activist and commentator, was assassinated on September 10, while speaking at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University attended by nearly 3,000 people. Investigators say the suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, fired a single, fatal shot from a nearby rooftop, killing Kirk instantly and then fleeing the scene.
Robinson was apprehended within 48 hours after allegedly confessing both via text messages to his partner and in a handwritten note left at his residence, stating he could “no longer tolerate [Kirk’s] hatred” and referencing motivations rooted in political and ideological disagreements.
Authorities discovered that Robinson’s actions were planned for over a week prior to the assassination, with evidence including digital messages, a concealed note, and DNA on the rifle linking him to the crime.
During Kimmel’s Monday evening (September 15) monologue, he suggested Robinson might have been a pro-Trump Republican.
“The MAGA Gang (is) 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,” Kimmel said. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
Kimmel has been a frequent target of Trump’s rage. Shortly after CBS announced the cancelation of Stephen Colbert’s late-night talk show, something FCC chair Brendan Carr publicly celebrated, Trump suggested that “next up will be an even less talented Jimmy Kimmel.”
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