Jimmy Kimmel Firestorm: 6 Things To Know About The Controversy And What Comes Next

HOLLYWOOD, CA — ABC's suspension of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" over the host's monologue about the politicization of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's slaying exploded into a national firestorm Thursday.

President Donald Trump and members of his administration Thursday openly threatened entertainers and broadcasters critical of the president, while dozens of stations have refused to air "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Protesters took to the street in Hollywood, politicians across the spectrum called for boycotts, and several celebrities joined the fray in support of Kimmel.

ABC has suspended the show "indefinitely," and Trump is celebrating the fallout.

Trump said getting Kimmel off the air is "great news for America," and suggested federal regulators should revoke broadcast licenses over late-night hosts who speak negatively about him. Gov. Gavin Newsom called it real-time censorship.

"HE IS NOT GOING TO STOP," Newsom wrote.

Here are six things to know about the fast-moving situation:

What Did Jimmy Kimmel Say?

In the opening monologue of Monday night's show, Kimmel focused on the reaction to the assassination of Kirk:

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.

In between the finger pointing, there was grieving. On Friday the White House flew the flags at half staff, which got some criticism. But on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this...

The show then cut to a video of Trump on the White House lawn answering a question from a reporter about how he's handling Kirk's killing. Trump answered "pretty well" before quickly pivoting to a comment about the construction of the new White House ballroom. Kimmel offered a response:

Yes — he's at the fourth stage of grief: construction. There's demolition, construction — this is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a gold fish. And it didn't just happen once...

The show then cut to another clip of Trump talking about both the ballroom and Kirk's death on Fox News. Kimmel reacted:

And then we installed the most beautiful chandelier — sconces you won't believe. There's something wrong with him, there really is. Who thinks like that? And why are we building a $200 million ballroom in the White House? Is it possible he's doing it intentionally to be mad about that instead of the Epstein list? By the time he's out of office the White House will have slot machines and a water slide."

Kimmel then transitioned into another bit about Trump.

Watch Kimmel's full monologue on YouTube.

What Did The FCC Chair Say?

On Wednesday, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, addressed Kimmel's remarks during an appearance on conservative commentator Benny Johnson’s podcast posted X.

Carr described Kimmel's behavior as "some of the sickest conduct possible" and said it was "past time" for licensed broadcasters to push back and not run Kimmel's show.

“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney,” Carr said, according to NBC News. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

Carr added that Kimmel's comments were part of a “concerted effort to lie to the American people.”

What Is Nexstar And Why Is It Involved?

ABC is owned by the Walt Disney Co., but viewers watch the network on affiliate stations across the country. The majority of those stations are not owned by Disney.

On Wednesday, Nexstar Media Group — which operates 28 ABC affiliates — said it would pull Kimmel's show starting that night. Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said Kimmel’s comments about Kirk’s death were “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse."

Sinclair Broadcast Group said it would not air the show either. The company called on Kimmel to apologize to Kirk’s family and make a “meaningful personal donation” to the activist’s political organization, Turning Point USA. Sinclair says that its 38 ABC stations will air a tribute to Kirk on Friday in Kimmel’s time slot.

The refusal by 66 stations to air a program represents a significant financial hit. Roughly 230 stations across the country carry ABC programming.

Both Disney and Nexstar have FCC business ahead of them. Disney is seeking regulatory approval for ESPN’s acquisition of the NFL Network, and Nexstar needs the Trump administration’s blessing to complete its $6.2 billion purchase of broadcast rival Tegna.

In California, Sinclair owns TV stations in Bakersfield, Fresno, Chico and Eureka.

Nexstar owns stations in San Francisco (KRON), Los Angeles (KTLA) and San Diego (KSWB and KUSI), as well as stations in Sacramento, Fresno and Bakersfield.

What Did ABC Say?

Hours after the FCC chairman made his comments, ABC announced it was pulling the plug on Kimmel's show "indefinitely." Network executives did not explain the decision.

It was not clear what would happen with Kimmel's time slot in the immediate future. While no return date has been set, Disney is monitoring the situation and sees a path to the show potentially returning in the next several days, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the situation.

The show has been ABC's late-night staple since it first aired in 2004.

What Did Trump Say?

President Donald Trump said Kimmel had bad ratings and should have been fired long ago. “So, you know, you could call that a free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent,” Trump said Thursday at a news conference in Britain. Later while returning to the U.S. aboard Air Force One, he said federal regulators should consider revoking broadcast licenses for networks that “give me only bad publicity.”

He also urged networks to cancel two remaining late night hosts, who routinely mock him.

The president hailed ABC's move on his Truth Social site, writing "Great news for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is cancelled. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has zero talent and worse ratings than even (Stephen) Colbert, if that's possible. That leaves Jimmy (Fallon) and Seth (Meyers), two total losers, on fake news NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!"

He went further Thursday, telling reporters on Air Force One that networks are “an arm of the Democrat party,” The New York Times reported.

“I have read someplace that the networks were 97 percent against me, I get 97 percent negative, and yet I won and easily,” Mr. Trump said, according to the Times. “I would think maybe their license should be taken away.”

What's The Reaction?

Protesters planned to gather Thursday afternoon outside the El Capitan Entertainment Center on Hollywood Boulevard, where Kimmel's show is taped.

The protest was organized by the group RefuseFascism.org, which said in a statement Wednesday night, "If Jimmy Kimmel can't speak truth to power, then who can?"

"We say this must stop and Jimmy must be restored," the group's statement added. "And we call on everybody: come to protest this blatant Fascist crackdown Thursday, Sept. 18th at 4:30 pm when the Jimmy Kimmel show SHOULD be taping."

Earlier Thursday, dozens gathered outside Disney's studio lot in Burbank to protest against ABC's action.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, meantime, called for a boycott of ABC and its affiliates, as well as the prominent Chicago station WGN, which is owned by Nexstar.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, another vocal Trump and Republican Party critic, took to X to react to the news, writing, "Buying and controlling media platforms. Firing commentators. Canceling shows. These aren't coincidences. It's coordinated. And it's dangerous. The @GOP does not believe in free speech. They are censoring you in real time."

Trump: “When you have a network and you have evening shows and all they do is hit Trump… They’re licensed. They’re not allowed to do that.”

We CANNOT normalize this.

HE IS NOT GOING TO STOP. pic.twitter.com/OTAylLXUYo
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) September 18, 2025

SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America — Hollywood's two biggest unions — issued statement's condemning the move.

"The right to speak our minds and to disagree with each other — to disturb, even — is at the very heart of what it means to be a free people. It is not to be denied. Not by violence, not by the abuse of governmental power, nor by acts of corporate cowardice," the WGA said.

Several celebrities including Ben Stiller, Wanda Sykes, Henry Winkler and Jason Bateman spoke out in support of Kimmel and the First Amendment.

""You can’t just stand by and let stuff like that go on," Bateman said on the "Today" show.

"The First Amendment doesn’t exist in America anymore. Period," actress Sophia Bush, of the show "One Tree Hill" posted on X. "Fascism is here and it’s chilling."

City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.