President Trump applauded ABC’s decision to pull new episodes of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” indefinitely after the host made comments about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk that were deemed “insensitive.”
“Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday. “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT”
Disney’s ABC decided to take its flagship late-night program off the schedule “indefinitely” after Nexstar Media, one of the biggest owners of TV stations in the U.S., vowed to pre-empt airings of the program after “strongly objecting” to Kimmel’s comments on Kirk.
Kimmel became embroiled in criticism from conservative commentators for his monologue on Monday’s broadcast, in which he made comments on Kirk’s suspected shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson from Utah, and that the “MAGA gang” was “trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
In the hours prior to ABC and Nexstar’s decision to take Kimmel off the air, Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr threatened to take action against ABC. Once Kimmel was pulled, Carr released a statement on social media, thanking Nexstar for “doing the right thing”: “Local broadcasters have an obligation to serve the public interest. While this may be an unprecedented decision, it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community.”
From Variety US
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