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2025 lookback: ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel briefly suspended by Disney after Charlie Kirk remarks
By Brian Flood
Published December 24, 2025
One of the most shocking moments of 2025 came in September when Disney announced that ABC’s "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" would be preempted "indefinitely," in what turned out to be a short-lived benching.
On the heels of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, host Jimmy Kimmel accused conservatives of reaching "new lows" for allegedly trying to pin a left-wing ideology on 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson — even though prosecutors later reaffirmed those ties in an indictment.
"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," Kimmel said.
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One of the most shocking moments of 2025 came in September when Disney announced ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel would be preempted "indefinitely." (Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images)
Appearing the next day on journalist Benny Johnson's "The Benny Show," Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr called Kimmel's comments "some of the sickest conduct" and suggested there were potential "avenues" the FCC could pursue.
"Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way," Carr said at the time. "These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or, you know, there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead."
Carr’s comments were denounced by lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, but a statement from Disney led many Americans to believe Kimmel’s time at the Mouse House was over.
"Jimmy Kimmel Live will be preempted indefinitely," a Disney spokesperson said in a vague statement.
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As a result, hundreds of protesters gathered outside Disney’s offices in Burbank, California, demanding that the network return "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to the air. Protesters also assembled outside Kimmel’s Hollywood Boulevard studio, chanting, "ABC bent the knee! No to the FCC!"
Many believed Kimmel had been fired, but he was reinstated the following week.
"We made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday," a Disney spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Kimmel, who has since signed a contract extension through 2027, said he never intended to make light of Kirk’s assassination during an emotional monologue upon his return.
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"I want to make something clear, because it’s important to me as a human — and that is you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man," he said.
"Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions," Kimmel continued. "It was a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make, but I understand that, to some, it felt either ill-timed or unclear or maybe both, and for those who think I did point a finger, I get why you’re upset. If the situation was reversed, there’s a good chance I would have felt the same way."
Kimmel added, "I have many friends and family members on the other side who I love and remain close to, even though we don’t agree on politics at all. I don’t think the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone. This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution, and it isn’t ever."
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Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/2025-look-back-abcs-jimmy-kimmel-briefly-suspended-disney-after-charlie-kirk-remarks