IRVING, Texas—Following threats from the Federal Communications Commission and the announcement that the nation's largest station group, Nexstar Media Group, would preempt ABC's late night “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” because of "offensive" offensive comments made by the talk show host, ABC announced that it was taking the show off the air "Indefinitely."
ABC and Nexstar made their announcements after FCC Chair Brendan Carr denounced Kimmel's comments as "sick." In an interview on the "Benny Show", Carr threatened to take action to remove the licenses from ABC affiliates who aired the show.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said. “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take actions on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Carr made the comments in an Sept. 17 appearance on Benny Johnson’s podcast, "Benny Show", which can be accessed below.
Kimmel's comments have been criticized for appearing to say that the alleged killer of Kirk was a MAGA supporter, an allegation that Carr called "sick."
Nexstar said it will drop the show "for the foreseeable future" because the station group strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk. Nexstar said it will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.
In response to the Nexstar's decision, Carr wrote in a social media post that "I want to thank Nexstar for doing the right thing. Local broadcasters have an obligation to serve the public interest. While this may be an unprecedented decision, it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community values. I hope that other broadcasters follow Nexstar’s lead."
Nexstar issued this statement about its decision:
“Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located,” said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division. “Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”
In response to the controversy, the FCC's lone Democrat, Anna Gomez said "an inexcusable act of political violence by one disturbed individual must never be exploited as justification for broader censorship or control. This Administration is increasingly using the weight of government power to suppress lawful expression, not because it glorifies violence or breaks the law, but because it challenges those in power or reflects views they oppose."
"We must stand firm against every attempt to silence dissent, punish satirists and government critics, and erode individual liberty. To surrender our right to speak freely is to accept that those in power, not the people, will set the boundaries of debate that define a free society," she continued.
