Was Jimmy Kimmel Fired? Confusion Reigns Following Late-Night Host's Comments About Charlie Kirk's Killer
Nexstar called Jimmy's comments "offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse."
Published Sept. 18 2025, 1:41 p.m. ET
The world of late-night hosts just got a little smaller. After Stephen Colbert's show was axed in mid-2025, the rest of the late-night line-up started looking a little imperiled as the administration of President Donald Trump seemed poised to hold them accountable for their humor and satirical takedowns of current political issues.
Then on Sept. 17, 2025, it happened: Jimmy Kimmel moved squarely into the crosshairs of FCC chairman Brendan Carr. Shortly after Carr spoke out against Jimmy, ABC took aim at Jimmy's show. But was he fired? Here's what we know about the status of Jimmy's show, as well as what he said that caused so much backlash.
Was Jimmy Kimmel fired?
As of the publication of this article, Jimmy has not been fired, just suspended. Carr took offense at comments that Jimmy made about the killer of the political activist Charlie Kirk.
Forbes reports that Carr complained about Jimmy's remarks, saying on Benny Johnson's podcast that there exists "a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest.”
Shortly thereafter, Nexstar, which owns many ABC affiliates, suspended Jimmy's show indefinitely, explaining that they found Jimmy's remarks "offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located.”
The broadcast corporation then said that they would be airing a 1-hour memorial show for Kirk in Jimmy's time slot on Friday, Sept. 19.
Although Carr seemed to point to Jimmy's comments for his firing, rumors have been circulating for months that Trump would push his people to target Jimmy after successfully lobbying to have Stephen's show canceled.
What did Jimmy say that was deemed so controversial?
Given all that we know about the backlash he has faced, the question remains: what exactly did Jimmy say that was so offensive? And the answer might surprise you.
Late night hosts are known for going at current event topics with guns blazing, so it's no surprise that Jimmy touched on the topic of Kirk's murder. But just like a bear with a sore tooth, this is apparently the topic you can't touch in America in 2025.
In his opening monologue, Jimmy stood up and explained, "We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as something other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it."
And if you're waiting for more heinous comments, you'll be waiting a long time. Because that's basically all she wrote. The backlash, however, was swift.
Trump himself weighed in on the topic following Jimmy's suspension, writing on Truth Social, "Great News for America: The ratings-challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED."
He added, "Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible."
Disturbingly, Trump then took aim at the remaining two late night hosts who regularly tackle political topics, adding, "That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT."
So far, no answer from NBC.