# ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel show indefinitely because of comments about GOP response to Charlie Kirk death. (Kimmel will be back on air Tuesday 2025-09-23) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 17, 2025, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138 "2025-09-17T23:27:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/264 "2025-09-21T04:03:34Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Don’t pay the danegeld, basically. Do not apologize for things you didn’t say, do not pay one red cent to Kirk’s organization, do not let Sinclair extort you, and get a lawyer C’mon, if he’d only said he was sorry, he’d still be on TV. They wouldn’t be able to touch him! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/265 "2025-09-21T04:08:19Z")
It’s a good thing you typed that and not actually spoken it, because it is pretty hard to talk with your tongue in your cheek. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/266 "2025-09-21T04:24:08Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > the shooter. He clearly follows a left-wing ideology. This is straining the definition of “ideology” to the breaking point. Besides which, if you have evidence for it, I suspect the FBI would be grateful for the tip, as they don’t seem to have stumbled across it yet. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/267 "2025-09-21T04:45:00Z")
The FBI isn’t _quite_ at the point where “Because MAGA says so!” is evidence enough…yet. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/268 "2025-09-21T05:04:40Z")
@Magiver the problem is not bosses firing their front facing creative talent over what they have said. The problem is the government using its regulatory power as a cudgel to force those decisions in its obsequious mission to please its leader. We should not be emulating Thailand’s _lèse-majesté_ law but here we are. A company wants to hire talent who express a particular political set of beliefs, who insult one group or who elevate enough. Obviously that’s allowed. Fox is fine. A government threatening Fox or Disney with regulatory consequences unless they comply with remove talent that says “badthink”, insulting the Chief Executive and his supporters, should not be. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/269 "2025-09-21T05:13:12Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > That’s a lot of lost viewers in light of the 43% decline this year. Lost viewership directly affects ABC’s ability to generate revenue from the show. You’re still bringing up this decontextualized statistic after it had been cited previously by @DavidNRockies that you’re comparing apples to oranges, or, to be more precise, new content to reruns: > **[Did Jimmy Kimmel have bad ratings? It's more complicated than Trump suggests](https://lastnighton.com/did-jimmy-kimmel-have-bad-ratings-complicated)** > > On Sept. 17, ABC shocked the world when it announced its decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live from its lineup indefinitely. The move was made by Disney heads to “ ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/270 "2025-09-21T11:22:36Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > It was a 2 sentence walk-back. “Looking back at it, it looks insensitive and I didn’t mean to offend anyone. I’m sorry.” That would not be sufficient. Kimmel has been called on to make a personal apology to Kirk’s family, and a meaningful donation to his organization. > [@](#): > > Sinclair then laid out a list of demands for Kimmel to meet before they will lift the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its The first is for there to be “formal discussions” held with ABC “regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism It also asked for Kimmel to “issue a direct apology to the Kirk family” and for him to make a “meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA,” Kirk’s nonprofit that advocates for conservative politics on high school, college and university campuses.and accountability.” > > [Jimmy Kimmel Asked to Apologize and Pay Charlie Kirk's Family if He Wants Suspension Lifted](https://people.com/jimmy-kimmel-asked-to-apologize-pay-charlie-kirk-family-lift-suspension-11812850) ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/271 "2025-09-21T12:21:52Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > He clearly follows a left-wing ideology. Since no one has asked, I will, Specifically, what left-wing ideology does he follow? I expect you will respond with things that are not left-wing ideology so your work is clear. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/272 "2025-09-21T15:11:56Z")
@Magiver, this is not the first time you have had this pointed out to you. Do you acknowledge it? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2025, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/273 "2025-09-21T16:31:11Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Uh, there is no evidence for that, only the wishful thinking of the incompetent executive members that we have now. Which, incidentally, is pretty much exactly what Kimmel said. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/274 "2025-09-22T00:22:54Z")
British radio show host James O’Brien [weighs in](https://youtu.be/RV_S-oDqp_c?si=WL-474pSsET1uPh5). (Video is about 16 minutes long, and it’s all relevant.) Edit to correct link ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/275 "2025-09-22T01:32:03Z")
> [@SunUp](#): > > You’re still bringing up this decontextualized statistic after it had been cited previously by @DavidNRockies that you’re comparing apples to oranges, or, to be more precise, new content to reruns: It was from the Nielsen Ratings which is what is used by advertisers. The apples and oranges aspect of it are all part of the same revenue pie. If reruns tank in the ratings then so does the revenue. So my statement stands, lost viewership directly affects ABC’s ability to generate revenue from the show. Hell, they’re STILL running Johnny Carson reruns. His show was that good. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/276 "2025-09-22T02:16:21Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > So my statement stands, lost viewership directly affects ABC’s ability to generate revenue from the show. If Kimmel’s show takes a monthlong hiatus in August, I’m sure that was discussed while negotiating the contract with ABC, and ABC ran the numbers, made their own ratings predictions based on previous ratings of reruns, and gave Kimmel less money because of it. So if the revenue pie is smaller, the expense is smaller as well. It all comes out in the wash. Again: apples and oranges. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/277 "2025-09-22T02:25:05Z")
Kimmel should offer to make a donation when and if Brian Kilmeade makes an equal donation to a homeless shelter of Kimmel’s choice. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/278 "2025-09-22T02:41:50Z")
Kimmel is brave and right when he refuses to take the easy route and make an apology and a donation. He has nothing to apologize for given that he never insulted Kirk or the Kirk family, let alone an unjustified insult, nor does forcing him to make a donation to an organization he thinks harms the world makes sense. This is integrity, more integrity than a lot of people have shown in the face of fascism. I really hope he doesn’t cave. Apologizing when he did nothing wrong so the fascists can declare victory would be harmful capitulation. I admire him for not doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/279 "2025-09-22T02:47:27Z")
Kimmel knows that kissing the right’s ass like that would destroy his reputation. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/280 "2025-09-22T03:08:46Z")
I think people would get over it. After all, who else is really being punished for collaborating? It would definitely be the easier, and probably personally beneficial route for Kimmel, but I believe the dude has the integrity to stand on principles. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/281 "2025-09-22T03:18:13Z")
Kimmel has been doing that show for 23 years – he’s been the host of it for longer than any other person not named Johnny Carson has hosted a single late-night talk show. He’s been on TV consistently for 28 years, going back to _Win Ben Stein’s Money_ and _The Man Show_, plus being a producer of a number of shows. He’ll turn 58 in a few weeks, and unless he’s been a complete idiot with his money, he’s likely an extremely wealthy man. He absolutely does not need _that_ show, and he could easily and very comfortably retire if he so chose – or if he wanted to continue to make political or entertainment commentary, he could set himself up on a podcast or streaming program and get a much bigger audience than he had on ABC. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/282 "2025-09-22T03:58:12Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > He’ll turn 58 in a few weeks, and unless he’s been a complete idiot with his money, he’s likely an extremely wealthy man. I think you’re right that he could retire but that’s from a view of a much greater income than mine. He’s certainly got a financial goal in mind and could take on other projects. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138/283 "2025-09-22T04:09:21Z")
And that “solution” would certainly lessen the number of people on national television that make a habit of calling Trump on his bullshit, wouldn’t it? The fact that he hasn’t done this seems to point to the possibility that pure monetary gain may not be his goal here, though. This Republican solution would be perfect…If not for his silly ethics. Amiright? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-pulls-jimmy-kimmel-show-indefinitely-because-of-comments-about-gop-response-to-charlie-kirk-death-kimmel-will-be-back-on-air-tuesday-2025-09-23/1023138.md?page=15)