NEED TO KNOW
- Seth Meyers is speaking out in support of Jimmy Kimmel
- Meyers said this is a “big moment in our democracy” and called on viewers to “stand up for the principles of free expression”
- On Wednesday, Sept. 17, an ABC spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be pulled indefinitely
Seth Meyers is weighing in after Jimmy Kimmel Live! was pulled off the air.
On Wednesday, Sept. 17, an ABC spokesperson confirmed to PEOPLE that Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show would be pulled indefinitely. The decision was a result of comments the host made during his Sept. 15 monologue about right-wing personality Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed during a speaking event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.
In Kimmel’s monologue, he addressed President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” supporters as he said, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
Kimmel, however, previously offered his condolences to Kirk’s family on social media.
“Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?” he wrote on Sept. 10. “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.”
Meyers dedicated the Thursday, Sept. 18 Late Night “A Closer Look” segment to Trump’s relationship with the media and free speech.
“His administration is pursuing a crackdown on free speech — and completely unrelated, I just want to say, before we get started here, that I’ve always admired and respected Mr. Trump,” Meyers said as the audience laughed. “I’ve always believed he was a visionary, innovator, a great president, and an even better golfer. And if you’ve ever seen me say anything negative about him, that’s just AI.”
Later, Meyers turned serious, telling the audience, “It is a privilege and an honor to call Jimmy Kimmel my friend in the same way that it’s a privilege and honor to do this show every night. I wake up every day, I count my blessings that I live in a country that at least purports to value freedom of speech, and we’re gonna keep doing our show the way we’ve always done it: with enthusiasm and integrity.”
The comedian called this a “big moment in our democracy,” adding, “We must all stand up for the principles of free expression. There’s a reason free speech is in the very first amendment.”
In a statement, Nexstar Media told PEOPLE that its “owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the foreseeable future, beginning with tonight’s show.”,
The decision was explained as a result of the company “strongly object[ing] to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk.”
Kimmel has yet to comment on the news.
Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, called Kimmel’s comments “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” in a statement to PEOPLE.
“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’s statement continued.
Nexstar recently announced plans to acquire rival broadcast company Tegna for $6.2 billion, a massive deal that would further consolidate the local television landscape and put Nexstar in 80% of America’s TV-owning households, according to a press release. The acquisition will require final approval from the Trump-controlled Federal Communications Commission.
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FCC Chair Brendan Carr quickly praised Nexstar on Wednesday for putting pressure on ABC to remove Kimmel, writing on X that “it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community values.”
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