Once the crown jewel of network television, the format faces pressure on multiple fronts. Hosts have become the target of Trump and his allies, who don't find their satirical jokes funny and want them off the air. At the same time, late-night shows are grappling with declining ratings and ad revenue as audiences shift away from linear TV viewing to streaming and social media.
On a recent episode of the show, Kimmel accused MAGA figures of trying to characterize Kirk's killer as anything other than one of them. He also accused them of doing everything they can to score political points from it. Kimmel's comments were met with immediate backlash from the right and even resulted in the FCC threatening ABC. Apparently feeling the pressure from President Donald Trump's administration, ABC decided to take Kimmel and his show off the air for the foreseeable future.