Featured Image Credit: Jimmy Kimmel Live via YouTube
Topics: Jimmy Kimmel, Charlie Kirk, Donald Trump
Joe Yates
Topics: Jimmy Kimmel, Charlie Kirk, Donald Trump
After more than two decades on-air, Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show has been cancelled following remarks he made in the wake of Charlie Kirk's death.
The veteran talk show host has seen Jimmy Kimmel Live! pulled from ABC after 22 years, to the amusement of President Donald Trump, who took to social media to celebrate the 57-year-old's production being axed.
"Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done," he wrote. "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."
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But what exactly did Kimmel say to bring his time on TV to an end?
Well, it came just days after Turning Point co-founder Kirk was assassinated at one of his Conservative student organization's events at Utah Valley University, on Wednesday last week (September 10).
The father-of-two was shot in the neck and pronounced dead at a local hospital in Orem, Utah, shortly after, with 22-year-old suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, having been arrested and charged in relation to the 31-year-old's death.
During an episode that aired on Monday (September 15), Kimmel joked about Trump's 'grief' over Kirk's passing, as well as the discussion around Robinson's political alignment.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang 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. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.” he said.
“On Friday, the White House flew the flags at half staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this."
It then cuts to a clip of the 79-year-old being asked by reporters about how he's holding up after his 'good friend's death, to which he says: "I think very good," before talking about the construction of the White House's ballroom.
After the clip concluded, the camera pans back to Kimmel, where he joked: “Yes, he’s at the fourth stage of grief, construction.”
“Demolition, construction,” Kimmel added. “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, okay?”
Following this, a spokesperson for ABC News told the BBC: "Jimmy Kimmel Live will be pre-empted indefinitely."
Andrew Alford, the president of Nexstar's broadcasting division, which is affiliated with ABC, slammed Kimmel for his comments, telling PEOPLE in a statement: "Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located.
“Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”
However, the decision has also been met with backlash from various celebrities. Kimmel has yet to respond to the show's suspension.
UNILAD has previously contacted Kimmel's representatives for comment.