Jimmy Kimmel is off the air after ABC said Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be “preempted indefinitely,” a move that followed affiliate pushback and remarks Jimmy Kimmel made about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The network’s decision arrived as Nexstar and Sinclair told stations they would not carry Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and as FCC Chair Brendan Carr publicly applauded the preemption.
For readers, that left two questions: what Jimmy Kimmel said, and how other late-night hosts and celebrities responded. On air and online, Stephen Colbert revived his Colbert Report persona on The Late Show to frame a “free speech” fight. Jimmy Fallon addressed viewers directly on The Tonight Show before puncturing censorship with a gag. Jon Stewart shaped The Daily Show into a parody of a state broadcast. Industry elders Jay Leno, David Letterman and Conan O’Brien issued statements rejecting the suspension on First Amendment grounds.
From Colbert to Fallon: every celebrity reaction on Jimmy Kimmel Live! off-airing so far
Stephen Colbert: As per an Entertainment Weekly report dated September 19, 2025, Stephen Colbert remarked,
“You can have your rights — just as long as you don’t use them,”
After reviving his Colbert Report character and The Word on The Late Show. He also mocked the President. Colbert stated sarcastically,
"Now, you might think the Constitution coddlers out there argue that Americans are born with certain God-given rights like life and liberty and, of course, the pursuit of happiness,...But what about the pursuit of Donald Trump’s happiness?"
Jimmy Fallon: Jimmy Fallon stated on The Tonight Show episode, which aired on September 18, 2025, stated,
“I do know Jimmy Kimmel, and he’s a decent, funny, and loving guy… And I hope he comes back,”
Before a “government-approved” voiceover kept “correcting” his jokes. The Emmy-winning late-night talk show host also joked,
"This morning I woke up to 100 text messages from my dad saying, 'I'm sorry they canceled your show.' And I go, 'That's not me!' That's Jimmy Kimmel!'"
Jon Stewart: Jon Stewart remarked on the Thursday Night airing of The Daily Show,
“From Comedy Central. It’s the all new government-approved Daily Show with your patriotically obedient host, Jon Stewart.”
Opening an episode-long parody of compliant state TV.
Seth Meyers: Seth Meyers stated during A Closer Look on Late Night,
“This is a big moment in our democracy, and we must all stand up for the principles of free expression,”
He further added,
“There’s a reason free speech is in the very first amendment: it stands above all others. You may even say its…The ultimate,”
Jay Leno: As per an Entertainment Weekly report dated September 19, 2025, Jay Leno said,
“I’m on Jimmy Kimmel’s side on that one…You don't get canceled saying popular things,....Usually it's the truth that winds up getting [you] canceled, so we'll see what happens."
David Letterman: As per an Entertainment Weekly report dated September 18, 2025, David Letterman remarked at the Atlantic Festival,
“This is misery,”
warning against “managed media” and “sucking up to an authoritarian administration. Letterman stated,
"my good friend Jimmy Kimmel. I feel bad about this because, we'll see where this is going, correct? It's managed media, and it's no good. It's ridiculous, and you can't go around firing somebody because you're fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian and criminal administration in the Oval Office. That's just not how this works."
Conan O’Brien: Conan O’Brien strongly worded, a post on his official Instagram dated September 19, 2025, stating,
“The suspension of @jimmykimmel and the promise to silence other Late Night hosts for criticizing the administration should disturb everyone on the Right, Left, and Center," he wrote. "It's wrong and anyone with a conscience knows it's wrong.”
As per an Entertainment Weekly report dated September 18, 2025, former president of the USA, Barack Obama, criticised “routinely threatening” acts targeting media as “government coercion.”
What happened and when: the fast timeline
The context of what Jimmy Kimmel said. In the September 15, 2025, monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Jimmy Kimmel criticized responses to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, saying,
“We had 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….”
A suspect, Tyler Robinson, 22, is charged.
The decision. On September 18, 2025, ABC told the press that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be “preempted indefinitely.”
Why did it escalate? Nexstar and Sinclair, major ABC affiliate groups, announced they would preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! over the remarks. FCC Chair Brendan Carr publicly encouraged action. Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, stated in a press release dated September 17, 2025,
"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,"
Where it stands: As per a people report dated September 19, 2025, A Jimmy Kimmel Live! Staffer told PEOPLE there has been “no communication” from ABC about the show’s status.
The event that set it off: Charlie Kirk, 31, was assassinated on September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University. Tyler Robinson was charged, and Congress passed a bipartisan resolution honouring Kirk on September 19, 2025.
Stay tuned for more updates.
Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon attend the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)