It was announced on September 18, 2025, that the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been abruptly suspended from the air. During his Monday night monologue, Kimmel made comments regarding the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk and called out members of the Republican Party.
“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,” Jimmy Kimmel, host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! said.
Many viewers believe these comments were insensitive to Kirk’s death and spread misinformation about the shooter. The decision to cancel the show was made by ABC after pressure from the Federal Communications Committee (The FCC). The network did not explicitly state its exact reasoning why.
“With regards to free speech, I feel like ABC has a right to pull him off as it’s a private company with the ability to choose who represents them. Mocking someone’s death and those affected by it is disgusting behavior, and many companies don’t tolerate negative speech towards others,” AJ Calagui, Catholic Memorial High School senior, said.
While some may agree that this decision is necessary due to the nature of Kimmel’s remarks, others believe this is a sign that freedom of speech is under attack.
“It is unfair and a limitation on free speech,” Elliot Engelhardt, junior, said. “If comedians aren’t even allowed to joke about something irrelevant to Charlie Kirk but rather about the Republican Party as a whole, what does that mean for everyday citizens?”
“There have been many Republican people who have said things against the other party,” an Anonymous sophomore said. “It’s very hypocritical. I understand he may have broken the rules, but it’s a satirical late-night talk show. I doubt that his comments were substantial enough to warrant the harsh retribution that they came after him with. It is feelings over fact.”
Jimmy Kimmel has a well-established background in the entertainment industry, hosting the Emmys, the Oscars, and his own show since 2003. Over the past few days, celebrities have voiced their support for Kimmel.
“The suspension of @jimmykimmel and the promise to silence other Late Night hosts for criticizing the administration should disturb everyone on the Right, Left, and Center,” Conan O’Brien, former Late Night host, said via X. “It’s wrong and anyone with a conscience knows it’s wrong.”
Kimmel’s suspension raises questions about the boundaries of satirical writing and how networks should be responding to public scrutiny. As of right now, Kimmel has not commented publicly on the cancellation of his show.
