Jimmy Kimmel Looked Somber In First Outing After ABC Axed His Show

Jimmy Kimmel appeared somber during his first outing in Los Angeles after ABC suspended his show indefinitely following backlash over his comments on Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Donald Trump celebrated the cancellation, mocking the award-winning host as “talentless” and suggesting networks could lose their licenses.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has also hinted that more actions may follow after Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, questioning whether ABC’s “The View” still qualifies for “bona fide news” status.

Kimmel was seen in public Thursday for the first time since ABC announced the indefinite suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in the wake of his controversial remarks about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

Kirk was fatally shot on September 10 while speaking with students at Utah Valley University. Days later, Kimmel commented on-air that “the MAGA gang desperately [is] 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,” sparking intense backlash.

In response to mounting criticism, ABC announced Wednesday that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would be suspended “indefinitely.”

The following day, the late-night host was photographed in Los Angeles, driving his Audi in a navy button-down shirt and dark sunglasses, reportedly looking “strained.”

Though he briefly smiled for photographers, earlier images captured him with his head buried in his hands.

The photos, obtained by the Daily Mail, were reportedly taken in Century City, a Los Angeles district known for its concentration of law firms.

Kimmel had already stirred controversy earlier in the week when he mocked President Donald Trump’s public response to Kirk’s killing, saying, “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.”

After ABC confirmed Kimmel’s suspension, Trump celebrated the decision on Truth Social, writing: “The ratings-challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”

Trump then doubled down, blasting Kimmel as having “no talent” and branding him a “whack job.” He went further by questioning whether television networks should even keep their broadcast licenses.

Citing statistics he claimed to have “read someplace,” Trump argued that major outlets have overwhelmingly portrayed him in a negative light but insisted he still managed to win the election.

“I would think maybe their license should be taken away,” he added, per The Blast.

Meanwhile, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr has hinted that Kimmel’s suspension from ABC may be only the start of wider regulatory pressure on broadcasters.

Speaking Thursday on “The Scott Jennings Radio Show,” Carr questioned why ABC’s daytime talk show “The View” remains exempt from certain broadcasting requirements.

Currently, the program is classified as a “bona fide news” show, which shields it from the FCC’s Equal Time Rule. This regulation requires networks to provide comparable airtime to opposing political candidates.

That exemption has seemingly allowed “The View” and similar programs to air without balancing political perspectives. But Carr suggested this exemption may no longer be guaranteed.

“It’s worthwhile to have the FCC look into whether ‘The View’ and some of the programs that you have still qualify as bona fide news programs and therefore exempt from the equal opportunity regime that Congress has put in place,” he said, per TMZ.

Later, in an appearance on “The Will Cain Show” on FOX, Carr went further, signaling the FCC’s intention to ramp up oversight of major networks to ensure networks operate in the public interest.

“I don’t think this is the last shoe to drop,” he warned, describing Kimmel’s suspension as “a massive shift that’s taking place in the media ecosystem.”

Carr, who was appointed by Trump, stressed that the agency will continue to “constrain the power” of broadcasters and hold them “accountable to the public interest.”

He added bluntly: “If broadcasters don’t like that simple solution, they can turn their license into the FCC.”

The move has already drawn political fire. Representative Eric Swalwell, a Democrat, responded to Kimmel’s suspension by posting a video wearing a “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” hat and delivering a sharp warning to the FCC.

“I want to make it clear — there’s going to be a Democratic majority in just over a year,” Swalwell predicted.

He continued: “To the FCC chairperson and anyone involved in these dirty deals, get a lawyer and save your records. Because you’re going to be in this room and you’re going to be answering questions about the deals that you struck, who benefited, and what the cost was to the American people.”