Jimmy Kimmel Live! Suspension Causes Uproar Across North America

Photo Credit: Disney via The New York Times

The Jimmy Kimmel Live! late-night television show, hosted by American comedian Jimmy Kimmel, was suspended by ABC executives on Sept. 17. This decision sent a shockwave of emotions throughout the US entertainment world, sparking outrage from actors to everyday citizens. Then, one week after the show was cancelled, it was brought back on Sept. 23, following a widespread public outcry. 

Kimmel’s show was halted following a comment he made on his show about Tyler Robinson. Robinson is the accused murderer of political activist Charlie Kirk, a distinguished ally of US President Donald Trump. Kirk was assassinated on Sept. 10, one week before Kimmel’s show was cancelled. 

“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,” Kimmel said on Sept. 15. “They are doing anything they can to score political points from it.”

MAGA, or “Make America Great Again,” supporters are people who are engaged with and follow Trump’s conservative, right-wing ideals. 

The day Kimmel’s show was cancelled, his audience for that night’s show was just about to walk into their seats when they were informed of the termination. “They didn’t tell us what had happened. They just said that the show was cancelled,” said Tommy Williams, an audience member who was there that night, according to the CBC. 

Debates about the matter went viral on social media platforms after the cancellation was publicised. Some were relieved and expressed disdain for Kimmel’s consistent left-wing political commentary, while others voiced outrage at the alleged attack against Kimmel's right to free speech.

Kimmel’s previous comment about Robinson created criticism and complaints from the Trump administration. Many MAGA supporters were angry at Kimmel for implying that they were allegedly trying to hide that Kirk’s murder was performed by a Trump supporter. In reply to Kimmel’s cancellation, Trump said that Kimmel’s show was taken off the air because of his blatant lack of talent. 

On the other hand, hundreds of celebrities — including Jennifer Anniston, Meryl Streep, and Robert DeNiro — signed a letter in September supporting Jimmy Kimmel amid his cancellation, calling the suspension “a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation,” according to BBC News. Fellow late-night hosts David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon, and high-profile political figures like Barack Obama and Kamala Harris, also condemned the cancellation, as reported by CTV News.

Furthermore, members of the public began to boycott streaming platforms owned by Disney, ABC’s parent company, in retaliation for the ABC network cancelling Kimmel’s show. According to Yahoo Finance, Disney lost approximately 3 million Disney+ subscribers and 4.1 million Hulu subscribers. 

Following viral online discourse and economic repercussions for ABC, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was brought back by ABC a week after its cancellation. ABC executives explained the decision by saying they had spent the last few days having “thoughtful conversations” with Kimmel, according to PBS.

 Kimmel began his first show after the cancellation by clearing up what he meant regarding his past comments about Robinson. 

“It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it. I posted a message on Instagram the day he was killed, sending love to his family and asking for compassion, and I meant it. And I still do,” Kimmel commented, at times almost breaking into tears. 

After that, Kimmel comically reacted to Trump’s comments against him, spreading laughter throughout the crowd. “[Trump] did his best to cancel me. Instead, he forced millions of people to watch the show. That backfired,” quipped Kimmel, along with a side note about how he has good reviews.

However, Kimmel’s show was still negatively affected by the cancellation, as they lost a significant portion of their audience. Despite a loss in viewership, the show’s ratings have increased compared to before the cancellation.