Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show was abruptly pulled from ABC's schedule last night after comments he made about the GOP's reaction to Charlie Kirk's assassination. In its place, ABC aired repeat episodes of Steve Harvey's Celebrity Family Feud, according to Variety.
The move followed Nexstar, a station group with 32 ABC affiliates, announcing it would not air the show. ABC then suspended production indefinitely. Sinclair, another major station group, also banned the program, calling Kimmel's remarks 'inappropriate and deeply insensitive.'
Sinclair vice chairman Jason Smith said the suspension would remain until 'formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network's commitment to professionalism and accountability.' The group also urged Kimmel to apologize to the Kirk family and make a donation to Turning Point USA.
FCC chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, praised the decision, calling Kimmel's comments 'the sickest conduct possible' and threatening further regulatory action if networks do not address such conduct.
Kimmel's exact remarks included criticism of the 'MAGA gang' and a clip of Trump deflecting questions about Kirk's death to discuss a new ballroom at the White House. Trump himself gloated over the cancellation, threatening that Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers would be next.
ABC's memo to affiliate stations indicated that Celebrity Family Feud would air in Kimmel's 11:35pm slot for at least Wednesday and Thursday, with further guidance from Disney/ABC pending.
