Jimmy Kimmel's show pulled 'indefinitely' by ABC after Charlie Kirk remarks

Disney and the ABC network are taking Jimmy Kimmel live off the air indefinitely. Let's get straight to CNN's chief media affairs correspondent, Brian Stalter.

This is fast developing this afternoon, Jake, amid pressure from the Trump-aligned FCC. air, quote, indefinitely. That's how quickly this has been developing. But let's back up and look at what Kimmel actually said on the program that has caused controversy. This is from Monday night in his Monday evening monologue.

Kimmel suggested that the alleged killer of Charlie Kirk might've been a pro-Trump Republican. He said, quote, the MAGA gang desperately trying He said in between the finger pointing there was grieving. Kimmel was expressing what we've heard some other liberals say in recent days that the motives are unclear and that maybe the suspect in He also talked about possible regulatory punishments of Disney because there are lots of different

stations that have licenses with the FCC. Within the past hour, we've heard from a big owner of stations that have affiliations with ABC, a company called Nexstar, saying that they were going to suspend Kimmel's show So, in other words, about two dozen stations And then, following word that some of those stations were basically revolting against Kimmel,

Disney, the parent company of ABC, decided to yank the show entirely. So, that's all we know at the moment. We know that Kimmel will not be on the air tonight because the network says the show

your interpretation of what Kimmel said, I think is the one that Brendan Carr had and the one that the individuals at Nexstar have. the MAGA gang is desperately trying to characterize and doing everything they can That can be read in several ways.

It could also be argued. He's saying that what the MAGA gang is doing is just trying to make sure any ownership of it, not necessarily that this killer, this horrible

person, was part of them. I mean I think you're making a very important point. Yeah. You're making a very important point and let's take a little bit step further. This was all on Monday night. Nobody seemed to notice this yesterday, Jake. But let's remember that when Stephen Colbert's show was canceled over the summer, what did have been trying to target ABC over Kimmel

Yeah, Brian Stelter, thanks so much for that breaking news. Let's go right to the panel. And let me first start by showing, This is the FCC Chairman Brendan Carr Let's roll that tape.

You know, when you look at the conduct that has taken place by Jimmy Kimmel, it appears to be some of the sickest conduct possible. Obviously, there's calls for him to be fired. I think, you know, you could certainly see a path forward

Joe, are you comfortable with the FCC playing this role?

I don't think this is a legal issue. Personally, I think it's more of a cultural issue. And I got to tell you, look, I'm about as moderate a Republican as you're going to get. I have not been comfortable watching late-night television 15 years, because when you have conservative leanings you're doing something wrong, you shut it off. You don't watch it anymore.

And then what happens is, it's circular. If the host doesn't have that audience, the host doesn't worry about keeping an audience like that. It goes in circles, and at some point, remembrance of Charlie Kirk and said it's like grieving for of a four-year-old

as a four-year-old grieves for a goldfish. No, no, that was the full quote. Well the full quote was I think he ran the clip of a reporter asking President Trump how he was doing with the death of Charlie Kirk and President Trump said I think I'm on the White House grounds. I think that was that was the full context. Again I didn't say any of this I'm just trying to present as accurate a picture of what did happen. Ali, this is the FCC commissioner.

I don't think we have seen an FCC commissioner this aggressive in our lifetimes. What do you think of it all?

So to the point of whether there's a legal element here, The First Amendment says Congress shall make no law, So can Jimmy Kimmel sue? No. He can't sue ABC for making a decision to remove him. That's a private entity.

ways. That's the traditional stuff. I have more authority to hire and fire executive branch officials. I don't have to respond to Congress, that kind of thing. He's fighting that out in the court. We've seen that before.

What's unprecedented, however, is the way Donald Trump is using official power from the FCC on to go after universities, law firms, and media companies

This is actually cancel culture. I mean, that's what this is. The chairman of the Fed, Federal Communications Commission, Brent Carr, added on Benny Johnson's that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest. Elsewhere in the interview, Carr attacked Kimmel as talentless and suggested the late night comedian's comments displayed some sort of,

It's a very slippery slope and there's a pattern. We keep talking about it like it's not happening and it just keeps happening over and over and over again with folks he disagrees with. WE SHOULD HAVE A COURT. THE LAW. WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO SAY THAT.

and more and more with folks who disagree.

Monday night. Let's obviously this is not the entire eight or is what he said.

desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk and doing everything they can to score political points from it.

was Kimmel suggests Kirk assassin was one of the MAGA gang, that is an accurate description, but they have the First Amendment to write what they want to write.

and police content. It's not, do we like this? I don't like anything about what Jimmy Kimmel said. Frankly, I agree with Joe. I find his comments reprehensible. But it's not the FCC's job to say, do we like this or do we not?

And the FCC, of course, is a government actor. And I'm thinking sort of off the top of my head here, but if ABC wanted to fight this, clearly they don't, have gone into court and said, this of executive power. And again, they can bring that because the FCC is

a government actor. But Jimmy Kimmel cannot do anything against ABC because they're private.

One other thing that the FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr did in that interview with Benny Johnson, who, by the way, has said plenty of things that a lot of people find objectionable, is he suggested, actually, the exact course of action that happened. He said what could happen is local affiliates could complain to ABC about the content,

canceling him because they're afraid of the FCC I think they're afraid that they're gonna lose whatever audience he has left because that's such an offensive thing he said. As far as, look, there's so much media alternatives at this point. So I think the FCC's, the range of authority they have is less and less because there are so many other outlets to reach out to.

so many other outlets to reach out to.

Then you have no incentive to keep whatever left of that audiences there is and then you know