Jimmy Kimmel’s show pulled after Kirk comments. Triangle TV stations affected
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- ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel's show following remarks about Charlie Kirk's death.
- Nexstar and Sinclair preempted the show citing offense and public interest concerns.
- ABC 11 in the Triangle drops the show; Nexstar’s CBS 17 remains unaffected.
ABC has pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show off the air in response to the host’s comments about the killing of Charlie Kirk.
The network made the decision after Nexstar, which owns the country’s largest local television broadcasting group, announced on Wednesday, Sept. 17, that its stations affiliated with ABC would preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” effective immediately and indefinitely.
“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,” Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said in a statement.
“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,” Alford said.
The country’s largest ABC affiliate group, Sinclair, also said Wednesday it “objects” to Kimmel’s comments and decided to indefinitely preempt the late-night show.
Kimmel’s late-night show taken off the air
Nexstar said it would replace Kimmel’s show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets. Sinclair’s ABC stations will air a special in remembrance of Kirk on Friday, Sept. 19, during Kimmel’s timeslot.
Here’s how TV stations in the Triangle will be affected by the announcements from ABC, Nexstar and Sinclair:
- Because ABC has suspended production of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, the program will not be shown on ABC 11, the Triangle’s ABC station owned by The Walt Disney Co.
- Nexstar owns the Triangle’s CBS affiliate, CBS 17, so the station is not affected by Nexstar’s decision.
- Sinclair owns the CW station in the Triangle market, so that station is not affected by Sinclair’s decision.
Sinclair said it would not broadcast Kimmel’s show again until “formal discussions are held with ABC” about its “commitment to professionalism and accountability.”
The company called Kimmel to apologize to the Kirk family and make a “meaningful personal donation” to the family and Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk founded.
What did Jimmy Kimmel say?
Immediately after Kirk, a conservative political activist, was killed in Utah, Kimmel posted on social media, “On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.”
On Monday, Sept. 15, Kimmel — who has hosted the late-night show since 2003 — spoke about Kirk’s killing during his monologue on the show.
“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.
Kimmel then joked about President Donald Trump’s response to a reporter’s question about how he was coping with Kirk’s death. Trump said he was “I think very good” and then began speaking about a White House construction project.
The day Kirk was fatally shot, Wednesday, Sept. 10, Trump ordered American flags lowered to half-staff until 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14. He also made several statements remembering Kirk.
Backlash following Kirk criticism
Several people in the Triangle have made headlines recently regarding comments about the killing of the conservative political activist.
- During a recent Wake County school board meeting, speakers both condemned and supported a Millbrook High School teacher who wrote on social media that Kirk should “rot in hell,” The News & Observer previously reported.
- Durham Police Chief Patrice Andrews also criticized Kirk on her personal social media page and later faced calls to resign.
FCC chair speaks out against Kimmel
Before ABC decided to pull Kimmel’s show off the air, the head of the Federal Communications Commission, the U.S. agency that regulates broadcasters including radio and television, spoke out against the late-night host’s comments.
Appearing on conservative commentator Benny Johnson’s show on Wednesday, FCC Chair Brendan Carr said Kimmel’s comments were “some of the sickest conduct possible.”
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said. “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Late-night show canceled
In July, CBS said it was canceling “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
The series will end in May 2026, and the decision to end it was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night,” Paramount said.
The announcement came after Paramount settled a lawsuit with Trump over the editing of an interview on the CBS News program “60 Minutes.” Paramount said it would pay $16 million, which, minus Trump’s legal fees, would be paid to his future presidential library.
This story was originally published September 19, 2025 at 10:10 AM with the headline "Jimmy Kimmel’s show pulled after Kirk comments. Triangle TV stations affected."
