The sudden axing of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' by Walt Disney-owned ABC over his live comments related to the Charlie Kirk murder has shed light on the regulatory pressure and a competitive merger involved behind the scenes.
Following Kimmel's Monday comments, in which he suggested that Charlie Kirk assassination accused Tyler Robinson was a pro-Trump Republican, the Nexstar Media Group on Wednesday indefinitely suspended his late-night show from their 32 affiliate ABC channels.
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On Wednesday, Brendan Carr, the Donald Trump-appointed head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), tore into Kimmel's comments, calling them a “concerted effort to try to lie to the American people", as per a Guardian report.
I want to thank Nexstar for doing the right thing.
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) September 17, 2025
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… https://t.co/Px5boYbqNR
He added that if action were not taken against Kimmel, there would be “additional work for the FCC ahead".
“Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
However, multiple ABC executives felt that Kimmel's comments were not over the line, as per a Rolling Stone report.
Yet, the decision to suspend the 23-year-old show was made by Disney CEO Robert A. Iger and Dana Walden, the company’s television chief—who communicated it to Kimmel in a phone call just before he was due to film another episode of the show, a Deadline report said, citing unnamed sources in the know.
Reports say that Kimmel was to clarify some of his comments in that upcoming episode, but was not prepared to apologise for them.
Notably, the decision comes amid a clash between Nexstar and rival Sinclair—both competing to complete a merger with Tegna, a smaller media company.
While Nexstar already unveiled a definitive agreement for a Tegna merger worth $6.2 billion (including debt), Sinclair reportedly offered to combine its TV stations with Tegna amid separate merger talks with Nexstar, The Hollywood Reporter said.
It is this Nexstar-Tegna merger that lies before the Trump administration, awaiting FCC regulatory approval.
ALSO READ | ABC suspends Jimmy Kimmel show; what the TV host said about Charlie Kirk’s killing
If approved, Nexstar-Tegna would become a mega-company with 265 stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia, covering 80 per cent of TV households in the US.
Democrat senator Ed Markey, however, called the Kimmel show takedown “censorship in action.”
"(The) FCC chair threatens ABC and Disney over Kimmel’s comments. Hours later, he’s off air. It’s dangerous and unconstitutional. The message to every media company is clear: Adopt the MAGA line or the Federal Censorship Commission will come after you,” he added.
