Television personality Jimmy Kimmel temporarily removed from broadcast due to controversial remarks concerning Charlie Kirk
Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show has been pulled from ABC due to 'offensive and insensitive' comments about Charlie Kirk, a conservative commentator who recently passed away. This move has sparked a heated debate about freedom of speech and political pressure in the media.
The controversy began when Kimmel drew attention to Capitol rioters who wanted to hang Mike Pence and criticized the Republican response to Kirk's death. His comments were deemed inappropriate by Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar's broadcasting division, and led to the cancellation of the show on ABC.
The move was welcomed by President Donald Trump, who celebrated the cancellation on Truth Social, stating that Kimmel was fired due to bad ratings and a 'horrible thing' said about Kirk. Trump also called Kimmel 'not a talented person' and said he should have been fired a long time ago.
However, the cancellation has not been met with universal approval. Celebrities Wanda Sykes and Ben Stiller have spoken out against the decision, expressing concerns about freedom of speech. Unions representing writers and actors have branded the cancellation as an attack on free speech and accused ABC of caving to pressure from the White House.
The Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East issued a joint statement criticizing the government for forgetting the founding truth of free speech. Senator Edward Markey threatened to take action against Disney and ABC through the Federal Communications Commission, joining California Governor Gavin Newsom and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer in expressing outrage over Kimmel's suspension.
The controversy has also raised questions about the relationship between media companies and the government. Disney and Nexstar have FCC business ahead, with Disney seeking regulatory approval for ESPN's acquisition of the NFL Network and Nexstar needing the Trump administration's go-ahead to complete its $6.2 billion purchase of broadcast rival Tegna.
In a separate development, Trump announced on Truth Social that the anti-fascist Antifa movement would be designated as a terrorist organization. As of a request for comment, a representative for Jimmy Kimmel did not immediately respond.
Despite the cancellation, Jimmy Kimmel expressed condolences on Instagram following Charlie Kirk's death, stating that gun violence is monstrous. The latest season of Jimmy Kimmel Live averaged 1.57 million viewers per episode, according to Nielsen, and the show's YouTube channel has almost 21 million subscribers.
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