ABC has suspended late-night host Jimmy Kimmel indefinitely following controversial comments he made about the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live will be pre-empted indefinitely,” a spokesperson for the Disney-owned network said on Tuesday. Kimmel declined to comment as he left the Los Angeles studio shortly after the announcement.
During his Monday night monologue, Kimmel accused the “MAGA gang” of politicising Kirk’s killing and mocked the decision to fly flags at half-mast in his honour. He also ridiculed former President Donald Trump’s response to the shooting, saying: “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”
The suspension drew swift praise from Trump, who celebrated the move on social media. “The ratings-challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” he wrote. Trump also attacked fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers as “two total losers” with “horrible ratings.”
Kimmel had earlier condemned the attack on Instagram and offered condolences to Kirk’s family.
Kirk, 31, was shot dead on September 10. A 22-year-old man, Tyler Robinson, has been charged with aggravated murder. Court filings show Robinson had recently embraced left-leaning views, but investigators said he was not affiliated with a political party and had not voted in recent elections.
Authorities have not identified a motive for the killing.
