Jimmy Kimmel Suspended After Remarks About Trump and Charlie Kirk — Ben Stiller and Obama Speak Out as Fallout Deepens
The fallout from late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s controversial comments about Donald Trump and the late Charlie Kirk has spiraled into one of the most polarizing media controversies of the year. What began as a sharp monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live! has now exploded into a storm of political outrage, celebrity commentary, and debates over free speech, cancel culture, and the boundaries of comedy in times of national tragedy.
At the heart of the uproar is the suspension of Kimmel’s show, a move that stunned Hollywood insiders and ordinary viewers alike. The decision by ABC and Nexstar Media has been praised by some as a necessary response to an insensitive moment, but condemned by others as a dangerous capitulation to political pressure. Now, with figures like Ben Stiller and former President Barack Obama weighing in, the controversy has grown far bigger than late-night television.
Kimmel’s Monologue and the Breaking Point
On September 10, conservative activist and podcaster Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at a college debate at Utah Valley University. The killing sent shockwaves through political circles and beyond, with reactions pouring in from both sides of the aisle. The suspected shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested two days later and charged with seven counts in connection with the assassination, including capital murder — charges that prosecutors have suggested could carry the death penalty.
For late-night television hosts, tragedies often become moments for both commentary and satire. On his next show, Jimmy Kimmel addressed Kirk’s murder, but it was his segue into Donald Trump’s reaction that ignited fury.
Kimmel rolled a clip of President Trump speaking to reporters outside the White House after Kirk’s death. Asked how he was doing in the wake of the killing, Trump answered bluntly: “I think very good.” He then pivoted into a tangent about the White House’s ballroom reconstruction.
Seizing on the oddity of the moment, Kimmel quipped: “Yes, he’s at the fourth stage of grief, construction. 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 goldfish, okay?”
The line drew laughter from his studio audience but immediate condemnation from critics who viewed it as trivializing Kirk’s death and mocking Trump’s response at a time of mourning. Kimmel continued, calling out what he saw as hypocrisy in the aftermath: “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.”
To his detractors, this was a step too far.
ABC and Nexstar Pull the Plug
Within hours of the broadcast, backlash poured in. Social media lit up with calls for Kimmel’s firing, while conservative commentators accused him of insensitivity and bias. By the following day, ABC issued a rare statement:
“Jimmy Kimmel Live will be pre-empted indefinitely.”
The announcement was soon followed by Nexstar Media — a powerhouse of local broadcasting affiliated with ABC — which declared it would no longer air Kimmel’s show “for the foreseeable future beginning with tonight’s show.”
Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcast division, elaborated: “At a critical time in our national political discourse, we believe Mr. Kimmel’s comments were offensive and insensitive. Out of respect for the family of Mr. Kirk and the seriousness of this moment, we cannot continue airing his program at this time.”
The swift suspension stunned many observers. While late-night hosts have often sparked controversy with pointed jokes, rarely has a major network sidelined a flagship talk show in response.
