Following remarks by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Disney’s ABC has indefinitely pulled his show. The decision came after Nexstar Media Group, a major affiliate, deemed Kimmel’s comments “offensive and insensitive.” Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly said the move isn’t about censorship but responsibility.
O’Reilly’s Take
O’Reilly appeared on NewsNation’s “CUOMO” and called Kimmel’s Monday monologue, which suggested that the alleged assassin was a MAGA supporter, “dishonest, irresponsible and disgraceful.”
He expressed disbelief that no one on Kimmel’s team flagged the comments given the country’s raw emotions following the assassination.
“What Kimmel did is inexplicable to me… He had to know on Monday in his dialogue how raw the country was over this assassination of Charlie Kirk,” O’Reilly told host Chris Cuomo. “Did no one red flag you on this? Did no one say anything about this? This isn’t about censorship. This is about responsibility.”
O’Reilly argued that by implying MAGA supporters were responsible for the murder, Kimmel’s content was not only “defamatory” but also “outrageous,” violating a corporation’s responsibility to sell an honest product.
Kimmel’s Monologue
In his monologue, Kimmel claimed the “MAGA gang” had sunk to new lows by attempting to distance themselves from the alleged assassin.
“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 and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said.
Kimmel also mocked President Donald Trump’s reaction to the assassination, playing a clip of Trump discussing how he was “holding up.” Kimmel likened Trump’s response to how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.
Other Reactions
Despite Kimmel and other liberal speculation that the assassin was a right-winger, officials found bullet casings from the rifle with phrases like “Hey fascist! Catch!” and “bella ciao,” a known left-wing anthem. Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox stated that the alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson, was “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology.”
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr also weighed in, threatening action against ABC if they didn’t address Kimmel’s behavior. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said on “The Benny Show.” “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.”