Jimmy Kimmel was suspended from live television on September 17, 2025. Many questions surrounded Kimmel’s suspension from live TV: What led to his suspension? Where exactly did this suspension come from? What does this mean for the future of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and the future of free speech in our country?
This occurred solely because Kimmel made comments about the assassination of conservative Republican activist Charlie Kirk. However, the aims were not directly pointed at Kirk; instead, they were pointed towards Trump and his MAGA supporters. Kimmel talked about the “MAGA gang,” who are “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.” His comments sparked major controversy, leading Disney + to suspend his show.
On September 23, 2025, Kimmel was allowed back on air. As Kimmel returned to his show, his first night back he made an apology. According to AP News, Kimmel stated “… it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.”
In today’s news, it’s not hard for articles and other sources to be edited for something to seem different than how it actually is. In Kimmel’s case, it was very important that multiple factual sources were to be included. While there were some factual sources, most of them were not. According to NBC News, Sinclair stated, “Our objective throughout this process has been to ensure programming remains accurate and engaging for the widest possible audience.” Today in the news, most people rely on what they see on social media, which for Kimmel, was very prominent. Everywhere you turned on social media, there was a different thing about Kimmel. Everything in the media today is usually on one side or the other. Mrs. Rebelo, A CCHS English teacher shares that, “the way our media is set up is just that. Depending on what channel you switch to, you’re going to get a different view.”
Now that Kimmel is back on air, not only is he facing backlash, but so are the television giants Sinclair and Nexstar. These two companies own 70 ABC affiliates in the U.S. . Disney, the owner of ABC, also suspended Kimmel, but not long after, aired him. Mrs. Rebelo said his suspension, once he is aired, “might boost his ratings.”
Kimmel’s suspension showed that late-night television shows are changing. These shows used to be spaces for comedy, but are now turning into spaces for politics and are used for impacting public opinion.
