ABC made a rapid programming change on Wednesday, September 17, after pulling Jimmy Kimmel Stay! from the air.
A rerun of Steve Harvey‘s Superstar Household Feud aired instead of the late evening speak present on Wednesday. The swap got here after an ABC spokesperson confirmed to Us Weekly that Jimmy Kimmel‘s present could be “pre-empted indefinitely” following backlash over the comic's current remarks about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel, 57, raised eyebrows on Monday, September 15, whereas discussing Kirk's accused killer, Tyler Robinson, within the monologue of his present. Kirk, 31, was fatally shot on September 10 whereas talking at Utah Valley College.
In his monologue, Kimmel claimed conservatives — together with Utah Governor Spencer Cox — had reached “new lows” by assuming Robinson, 22, was affiliated with the far-left.
“The MAGA Gang [is] desperately attempting to characterize this child who murdered Charlie Kirk as something apart from considered one of them and doing every part they will to attain political factors from it,” Kimmel stated on Monday. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
Steve Harvey hosts ‘Superstar Household Feud' Photograph by Wilford Harewood/Disney through Getty Photos
Robinson was charged with capital offense aggravated homicide and felony discharge of a firearm after turning himself in earlier this month. He's additionally going through a number of counts of obstruction of justice, witness tampering and fee of a violent offense within the presence of a kid.
Following the controversial monologue, Federal Communications Fee (FCC) chairman Brendan Carr referred to as for Kimmel to apologize and argued a “suspension” from ABC may very well be thought of.
“We will do that the simple manner or the exhausting manner,” he stated on The Benny Present on Wednesday. “These corporations can discover methods to vary conduct and take actions on Kimmel, or there's going to be further work for the FCC forward.”
In keeping with Variety, the Disney-owned community in the end determined to take away Kimmel from the air “indefinitely” after Nexstar Media threatened to axe the late evening present from its lineup.
Nexstar instructed the outlet that its “owned and associate tv stations affiliated with the ABC Tv Community will preempt Jimmy Kimmel Stay! for the foreseeable future, starting with tonight's present.”
Many stars had been shocked after information broke that ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel's eponymous speak present following the host's feedback about Charlie Kirk's loss of life. An ABC spokesperson confirmed to Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 17, that “Jimmy Kimmel Stay! might be pre-empted indefinitely.” The information got here within the wake of Kimmel's remarks about Kirk's accused assassin, […]
Sinclair Broadcast Group, the most important ABC affiliate group within the nation, has additionally decided about what to air instead of Jimmy Kimmel Stay! Starting Friday, September 19, a particular honoring Kirk might be proven in Kimmel's timeslot. A press launch said that the particular is being provided to all ABC associates throughout the U.S.
Kimmel has but to publicly handle his present being pulled — Wednesday's episode would have featured Wanda Sykes, Jay Shetty and chef Christian Petroni — however he beforehand despatched condolences to the Kirk household within the aftermath of the Utah capturing.
“As an alternative of indignant finger-pointing, can we only for at some point agree that it's horrible and monstrous to shoot one other human?” he wrote through Instagram on September 10. “On behalf of my household, we ship like to the Kirks and to all the kids, dad and mom and innocents who fall sufferer to mindless gun violence.”
