Jimmy Kimmel declined to apologize before ABC suspended his show, Deadline reports

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel did not agree to apologize for his monologue about the reaction to Charlie Kirk’s killing before ABC took his show off the air, according to a report from Deadline. Citing sources, Deadline reported that Kimmel declined to apologize during a phone call on Wednesday with Disney Entertainment Co-Chair Dana Walden, in which he was told the show was being suspended indefinitely. According to the same sources, Kimmel had intended to address the controversy further on air.

The phone call

According to Deadline, Walden called Kimmel on Wednesday afternoon to tell him of the decision and to discuss calls for an apology. The network was already facing pressure from major affiliate groups Nexstar and Sinclair, which said they would not air the show, and from Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, who had criticized the monologue publicly. Disney and Kimmel did not publicly detail the conversation at the time.

What Kimmel said

The controversy began with Kimmel’s monologue on Monday, Sept. 15, after Kirk was shot and killed at an event in Utah. Kimmel said: “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.”

Critics, including Kirk’s supporters, said the remarks were insensitive and politicized a killing. Kimmel’s defenders said he was criticizing how the shooting was being discussed politically, not blaming Trump supporters for it. Days earlier, after the shooting, Kimmel had posted a message on social media calling for people to set aside “angry finger-pointing.”

Pressure on the network

ABC and its parent company Disney faced pressure from several directions at once: affiliate owners demanding action, the FCC chairman’s public criticism, and supporters of Kimmel who warned against what they called censorship. Critics of the suspension said it set a troubling precedent for political comedy, while supporters of the decision said the network was responding to its affiliates and viewers.

Trump’s response

President Trump welcomed the suspension on Truth Social, calling it “Great News for America.” He congratulated ABC “for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” criticized Kimmel’s ratings, and called on NBC to remove its late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, whom he called “two total losers.”

Two views of Kimmel’s stand

Supporters in the entertainment industry and free speech advocates argued that an apology under government and corporate pressure would have encouraged further attempts to silence comedians. Others argued that, as the host of a commercial program with a large staff, Kimmel’s refusal to de-escalate left Disney with few options.

The affiliate owners

Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group, which together own dozens of ABC affiliates, said they would preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Nexstar said that continuing to give Kimmel a broadcast platform in its communities was “not in the public interest at the current time.” Sinclair called on Kimmel to make a personal donation to Kirk’s family and to Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk founded.

Reaction from other comedians

Fellow late-night hosts, including Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart, criticized the suspension, as did former “Late Show” host David Letterman and many comedians and writers on social media. Many described the move as a threat to political satire.

What comes next

The suspension became a test of how networks respond to political pressure over comedy. Update: ABC returned “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to the air on Sept. 23, 2025, and Nexstar and Sinclair later resumed airing it on their stations.