Fans Rally To Bring Jimmy Kimmel Back To Late-Night TV

Late-night television has been thrown into chaos after Nexstar announced it will drop “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from its ABC stations “for the foreseeable future.”

The move comes after Jimmy Kimmel’s controversial remarks about the suspect charged in the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, sparking outrage and an immediate shakeup in programming decisions across multiple markets.

However, fans on social media have called on ABC to reinstate Kimmel’s show, with many voicing their frustration about Nexstar’s decision.

In a statement obtained by Deadline, Nexstar confirmed the decision to drop Kimmel’s show on its ABC affiliates.

The statement read, “Nexstar’s owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the foreseeable future, beginning with tonight’s show.”

Nexstar added that it “strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.”

Following the statement, Nexstar dropped Kimmel’s late-night show from 32 of the ABC affiliates it owns out of 200 stations nationwide.

Soon after Nexstar’s move, ABC also confirmed “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would be off the air “indefinitely.”

A spokesperson for the network told Deadline, “Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be preempted indefinitely.”

Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, condemned Kimmel’s remarks.

In a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, he called them “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse.”

He stressed that the comments did not reflect the values or viewpoints of the local communities the company serves.

Alford added that giving Kimmel a platform under such circumstances was not in the public’s best interest.

He explained that Nexstar had made the difficult decision to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! in hopes of allowing tensions to ease and encouraging “the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”

After news of Nexstar’s decision made headlines, several fans took to social media to demand that Kimmel’s show be put back on air.

X user, @DisavowTrump20, led the calls for the show’s reinstatement. They posted a photo of ABC Entertainment President Craig Erwich, noting that he “has the power to put Jimmy Kimmel back on air.”

The X user called on others to “RETWEET to demand @ABC reinstate Jimmy Kimmel!”

In another post, they shared a link where Kimmel’s supporters could “let ABC know how you feel.”

Meanwhile, another X user believed Nexstar had always wanted Kimmel gone and now had a reason to cut ties. They wrote, “They wanted him gone. This was just a great reason for them to finally pull the plug. Bye bye.”

A third tweep wrote, “This was d-mb on ABC’s part. If they cave that easy from peer pressure, then they are not worth working for. If I were Jimmy Kimmel, I wouldn’t go back. With his ratings, he can do better.”

Another person added, “I stand with Jimmy Kimmel and the First Amendment.”

Meanwhile, a disgruntled fan shared, “I’m seriously considering canceling anything related to Disney or ABC. Why doesn’t ABC play some of Charlie Kirk’s greatest hits! I was not a fan of Charlie Kirk; he did not deserve to be assassinated. This is absolutely ridiculous, No more Free Speech in Trumps America?”

On Monday night, during his monologue, Kimmel told his audience, “We had 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 with everything they can to score political points from it.”

Following his MAGA remarks, Kimmel turned his attention to Donald Trump’s reaction to the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.

When asked by a reporter how he was “holding up,” Trump responded, “I think very good,” before shifting to talk about ballroom construction at the White House.

Kimmel didn’t hold back in mocking the comment.

“He’s at the fourth stage of grief, construction,” the TV personality said as the audience laughed. “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”

Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr strongly condemned Jimmy Kimmel’s remarks about the Charlie Kirk shooting, telling YouTuber Benny Johnson they represented “the sickest conduct possible.”

Carr accused Kimmel of fueling a false narrative. “This appears to be an action by Jimmy Kimmel to play into the narrative that this was somehow a MAGA or Republican-motivated person,” he said. He then reminded viewers that broadcasters operate under FCC licenses and must serve the public interest.

Carr warned, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

When asked if an apology was enough, Carr said that suspending Kimmel could also be considered. “Calls for Kimmel to be fired — I think, you could certainly see a path forward for a suspension over this. You know, the FCC is going to have remedies,” he explained.

Carr also criticized late-night hosts, saying some were “talentless and looking for ways to get attention,” and urged affiliates to push back against Disney and ABC.

He warned that continued “news distortion” could even threaten broadcast licenses.

Meanwhile, FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez blasted Carr’s threats, warning that political violence must not justify censorship.

She accused the administration of suppressing dissent and criticism, insisting free expression must be defended to prevent those in power from defining debate and eroding individual liberty.