Jimmy Kimmel taken off air ‘indefinitely’ after Charlie Kirk comments

Donald Trump has since reacted

Charlie Kirk died on 10 September after he was shot in the neck during an event at a Utah university.

Shots were fired at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem where the 31-year-old was speaking.

CNN reported that Kirk was answering a question about transgender mass shooters in America.

At 12:25 local time, a “single shot rang out in the quad near the food court on the Utah Valley University Orem Campus as Mr. Charlie Kirk began speaking at his planned rally,” Scott Trotter, senior director of Public Relations at Utah Valley University in Orem, told the BBC.

It was later confirmed that Kirk had died following his injuries.

Now, ABC have pulled late-night TV show host Jimmy Kimmel after comments he made about the shooting of Kirk.

A spokesperson for the network owned by Disney said that "Jimmy Kimmel Live will be pre-empted indefinitely."

This comes after Kimmel said earlier this week on one of his shows that the "Maga gang" was trying to score political points off the assassination of Kirk.

He said on Monday: "The Maga Gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it."

He further criticised flags being flown at half mast for Kirk while also mocking Trump's reaction to the shooting.

Kimmel said: "This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish."

On the day of Kirk's death, Kimmel took to Instagram to condemn the attack and send "love" to Kirk's family.

Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar's broadcasting division, an ABC affiliate, said it "strongly objects" to Kimmel's comments.

He said: "Mr Kimmel's comments about the death of Mr Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse."

He added that the show is set to go off-air to "let cooler heads prevail".

US President Donald Trump has since reacted to the news that ABC had suspended Kimmel calling it "great news for America."

Taking to Truth Social, Trump wrote "congratulations to ABC" and "Kimmel has ZERO talent".

He added: "The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done."

Meanwhile, some Democrats have been left angered, including the likes of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who posted on X: "The @GOP [Republican Party] does not believe in free speech. They are censoring you in real time."

Chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Brendan Carr, thanked Nexstar "for doing the right thing".

It has since been announced that a special remembrance programme honouring Kirk will air this Friday in the original time slot for Kimmel's show.