Trump lauds ABC for suspending TV host Jimmy Kimmel over Charlie Kirk remarks
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday praised ABC’s (DIS.N), opens new tab decision to pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live” off the air, saying the late-night television host had said “a horrible thing” about assassinated political activist Charlie Kirk.
Walt-Disney owned ABC said on Wednesday it was pulling the show after Kimmel’s comments that conservatives were using Kirk’s killing to score political points.
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“Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else and he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk,” Trump said during a news conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Also Watch: Trump Hails Arrest of Kirk’s Alleged Gunman, Calls for Justice
Kirk, a close conservative ally of Trump, was killed by a sniper’s bullet on Sept. 10 at a university campus in Utah, where state prosecutors on Tuesday vowed to seek the death penalty against his accused killer.
“Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person. He had very bad ratings, and they should have fired him a long time ago. So, you know, you can call that free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent,” Trump said.
TV host suspended
Walt Disney-owned ABC (DIS.N), opens new tab said on Wednesday it was pulling “Jimmy Kimmel Live” off the air, after comments by the late-night show’s host about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk prompted a threat by the head of the top U.S. communications regulator against Disney.
President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly pressured broadcasters to stop airing content he has found objectionable, celebrated the news in a social media post. A number of Democratic lawmakers assailed the decision, saying free speech was under attack.
The suspension of Kimmel’s show marked the latest action taken against media figures, academic workers, teachers and corporate employees over their remarks about Kirk following his assassination.
Republican leaders and conservative commentators have warned Americans to mourn Kirk respectfully or suffer consequences, and some people have been fired or suspended after discussing the killing online.
Kimmel, who has frequently targeted Trump on his late-night comedy show, drew fire for remarks he made about the killing in his monologue on Monday.
“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, and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said.
Kirk, a 31-year-old activist and Trump-world celebrity known for his right-wing views and pugnacious debating style, was shot in the neck while speaking at a Utah university a week ago. A 22-year-old suspect has been charged with his murder, and his precise motive remains unclear.
Kimmel’s comments led to a response from Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, who urged local broadcasters to stop airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on ABC. Carr suggested the commission could open an investigation and that broadcasters could potentially be fined or lose their licenses if there was a pattern of distorted comment.
“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said in a podcast interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson that aired Wednesday.
