"ABC shocked the TV industry last night by pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! off air under pressure from the Trump administration, prompting anxiety over state censorship and a wave of support for the late-night host. Earlier Wednesday (September 17), Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed chair of the Federal Communications Commission, had threatened the network with retaliation if it did not punish host Jimmy Kimmel for a joke, on Monday night's telecast, that linked Charlie Kirk's alleged shooter with "the MAGA gang.""
"In the comments for which he is under fire, Kimmel said that "the MAGA Gang" was "desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it." He added, "In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving." Carr, interviewed on a right-wing podcast on Wednesday, said Kimmel's remarks were part of a "concerted effort to lie to the American people." The FCC, he added, "have remedies that we can look at.""
ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air after threats from the Trump administration and FCC chair Brendan Carr. Carr warned the network of retaliation over a joke linking Charlie Kirk's alleged shooter to "the MAGA gang." Celebrities and unions including the WGA, AFM, and SAG-AFTRA condemned ABC's decision and expressed support for the host. Carr described Kimmel's remarks as part of a "concerted effort to lie to the American people" and said the FCC "have remedies that we can look at." Analysis of the alleged shooter Tyler Robinson's communications showed an ambiguous political profile.
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