Jimmy Kimmel has finally hit a long-deserved wall. ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely after the late-night host used his monologue to accuse conservatives of exploiting the murder of Charlie Kirk. The decision did not come from government regulators but from the free market itself. A group of station owners, including Nexstar and Sinclair, decided they no longer wanted his show on their airwaves. ABC and its parent company Disney followed by pulling the plug.
In his remarks earlier this week, Kimmel claimed that “the MAGA gang is 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.” Those words ignited immediate backlash, not only from viewers but from affiliates who rely on public trust and advertising dollars. Beyond being insensitive, the claim is a flat-out lie being peddled by the left to absolve themselves of blame for radicalizing Charlie Kirk’s killer.
It’s one thing to espouse political views for cheap applause, but it’s another to outright lie about the facts and make things up to distort reality and mislead viewers on what actually happened. Tyler Robinson, Kirk’s killer, was a clear leftist wrapped in trans ideology who hated Charlie Kirk and everything MAGA stood for. His family confirmed as much, along with his band of loony online friends.
For years, critics have pointed out that late-night television has turned into a megaphone for left-wing talking points dressed up as comedy. Kimmel, in particular, has made a career out of mocking Republicans and conservatives while skating past accountability for statements that often distort the truth. This time was different. By suggesting that MAGA was capitalizing on Kirk’s killing, Kimmel crossed a line. Station groups decided they were done carrying water for the left-leaning host, and ABC had little choice but to act.
This is not censorship. No government agency shut down Kimmel’s microphone. Instead, the people who own the stations and bear the business risk said the product no longer worked for their communities. Viewers rejected it, advertisers did not want to be tied to it, and the stations responded. That is how a free market is supposed to function.
The move also sends a message to the broader media world. When a host lies, exaggerates, or smears political opponents on broadcast television, there can be consequences. For too long, these figures operated as if they were untouchable. Kimmel’s suspension shows that it is no longer the case.
Writing on X, Bill Mitchell made a salient point. ABC is trying to cover for a likely defamation suit in the future:
Let’s be very clear. Jimmy Kimmel was not canceled because he criticized Charlie Kirk. We already knew he didn’t like Charlie Kirk. He wasn’t even canceled because he applauded Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
He was canceled because he lied and said that Charlie Kirk’s shooter was MAGA and that the MAGA movement was trying to cover it up.
This was a massive defamation suit waiting to happen and ABC was trying to cut it off at the pass. Add to that the fact they probably were looking for an excuse to get out of Kimmel’s contract anyway and you see what’s really happening here.
Some on the left are already crying about free speech. But speech comes with responsibility. If a commentator repeatedly distorts reality to score political points, then viewers, advertisers, and affiliates have every right to walk away. What happened to Kimmel was not censorship, but accountability. It was the market at work responding to disappointed customers.
Americans are tired of being lectured and misled by late-night comedians who think they can say anything without consequences. This time, the market pushed back. For once, the punishment fit the offense.
In the end, Charlie got the last laugh.