Late-night show: Jimmy Kimmel canceled due to comments on Kirk
Initially, there was a stir over some of Kimmel's statements. Now, the Disney-owned network ABC is pulling the plug on the Trump-critical late-night show. The president is triumphant and is already announcing his next targets.
ABC is suspending Jimmy Kimmel 's late-night show indefinitely. The Disney-owned network cited comments the host made following the Charlie Kirk assassination attempt. These comments had previously been sharply criticized by Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), appointed by Donald Trump. Nexstar Media, an owner of many local ABC affiliate stations, had also complained.
Last Monday, the 57-year-old Kimmel said on his show: "We had some new lows over the weekend as the MAGA gang desperately tried" to portray the man who murdered Kirk "as anything but one of them and did everything they could to make political capital out of it." MAGA is the acronym for President Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement.
The show is to be canceled immediately. "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" premiered in 2003 and was one of the longest-running late-night shows on American television.
"Great news for America," Trump commented on his Truth Social platform. "Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what needed to be done." The president also took aim at the remaining comedians, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, whom he called "two total losers." NBC must now follow suit and cancel their shows as well. Trump's demand was clear: "Do it, NBC!!!"
The US talk show hosts make fun of Trump and his authoritarian tendencies in a pointed and sometimes crude manner, thus forming for many an important counterbalance to the politically one-sided communication of the White House.
In July, CBS announced the end of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," which had been running since 2015—apparently to appease the Trump administration. The sale was made as a financial decision. The show is scheduled to air for the final time next May.
Trump said in July that he bears no responsibility for the end of Colbert's show. It was a question of talent. "Next up is the even less talented Jimmy Kimmel."
Supporters of Trump and MAGA often complain about a left-wing “cancel culture” and insist on the right to freedom of speech guaranteed in the US Constitution.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
