Many stars were shocked after news broke that ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s eponymous talk show following the host’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s death.
An ABC spokesperson confirmed to Us Weekly on Wednesday, September 17, that “Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be pre-empted indefinitely.”
The news came in the wake of Kimmel’s remarks about Kirk’s accused murderer, Tyler Robinson, on the Monday, September 15, episode of his late night talk show. (The Turning Point USA cofounder was shot and killed during a speaking event on a college campus in Utah. He was 31.)
“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 said in his monologue.
Nexstar Media, which is one of the biggest TV station owners in America, said in a Wednesday statement to Variety that they planned to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! as the company “strongly” objected to Kimmel’s comments about Kirk.
Prior to the controversial monologue, Kimmel spoke out condemning gun violence.
“Instead of angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?” he wrote via Instagram earlier this month. “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.”
Us has reached out to Kimmel for comment.
Keep scrolling to see what stars have said about Kimmel’s indefinite removal:
Ben Stiller
Stiller retweeted an article of Kimmel’s pause and wrote alongside the piece, “This isn’t right.”
President Donald Trump
“Great news for America: The rating challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED,” Trump wrote via Truth Social. “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse rating than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT.”
Sophia Bush
Bush reposted the news of Kimmel being pulled off air via X, writing, “The First Amendment doesn’t exist in America anymore. Fascism is here and it’s chilling.”
Danica Patrick
The NASCAR driver, who publicly mourned Kirk, celebrated Kimmel’s removal.
“Human decency is coming back thank god,” she wrote via her Instagram Story, alongside a Newsmax story about ABC pulling the late night show.
Colton Underwood
The former Bachelor reacted to Variety’s Instagram post about Kimmel’s pause. Amy Sussman/Getty Images
“This can’t be coming from the party that made its entire identity free speech and no more cancel culture…” Underwood replied in the comments section.
Jonathan Van Ness
The Queer Eye star wrote in Variety’s comments section, “Wow.”
Margaret Cho
“What the actual f,” Cho responded in the comments section of Variety’s Instagram.
Mike Birbiglia
The comedian shared a handwritten note reacting to Kimmel’s removal via Instagram.
“I’ve spent a lot of time in public + private defending comedians I don’t agree with,” Birbiglia penned. “If you’re a comedian + you don’t call out the insanity of pulling Kimmel off the air — don’t bother spouting off about free speech any more.”
Hilarie Burton Morgan
The One Tree Hill actress reacted to the news about Kimmel by resharing California governor Gavin Newsom’s post calling the move “coordinated” and “dangerous.”
Busy Philipps
The actress seemingly reacted to the news by sharing an Instagram post titled the “10 commandments of defiance” to combat “tyranny” and encouraged her followers to “keep showing up.”
Jamie Lee Curtis
The Freakier Friday star shared a quote from Kimmel following the news of his late night show being pulled off air.
“I don’t think anyone should be canceled, I really don’t,” the quote read.
Steve Martin
The actor took to X and shared a passage from The Diary of Anne Frank where Anne Frank wrote, “Terrible things are happening outside. Poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. Families are torn apart. Men, women, and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared.”
Martin added a caption to his post, writing, “And our right to free speech is being eliminated.”
Don Lemon
The journalist shared a video via Threads where he slammed the decision to punish Kimmel by pulling him off the air.
“This is the same party that complains everything is too woke, that comedians can’t say anything anymore, that they’re killing comedy,” Lemon said. “But the folks who complain about killing comedy are the ones killing comedy. What does that tell you? They don’t believe in anything they’re saying. They have no core. This is some scary s***.”
Alex Edelman
The comedian shared a link to an article about the Kimmel news via X, writing, “This is the actual cancel culture everyone claims to hate so much.”
Wanda Sykes
The comedian, who had been scheduled to appear on Kimmel’s show the day he was removed from the late-night lineup, shared her thoughts via Instagram. She told her followers that “The Jimmy Kimmel show has been pulled indefinitely, abruptly, because of complaints from the Trump administration.”
Sykes added, “Let’s see. He didn’t end the Ukraine war or solve Gaza within his first week. But he did end freedom of speech within his first year. Hey, for those of you who pray, now’s the time to do it. Love you, Jimmy.”
Chris Hayes
The MSNBC host remarked via X, “This is the most straightforward attack on free speech from state actors I’ve ever seen in my life and it’s not even close.”
Kathy Griffin
The comedian urged her followers on Bluesky to support Kimmel.
“Please, take it from me, it is very important to have Kimmel’s back right now,” she wrote. “Be vocal. Be an ideological consumer. Money is all their crowd cares about.”
Kevin McHale
“This was all in Project 2025, btw,” the actor remarked via X.
Jean Smart
The Hacks star posted a photo of herself with Kimmel via Instagram, writing in a caption, “I am horrified at the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel Live. What Jimmy said was FREE speech, not hate speech. People seem to only want to protect free speech when it suits THEIR agenda. Though I didn’t agree at ALL with Charlie Kirk; his shooting death sickened me; and should have sickened any decent human being. What is happening to our country?”
Henry Winkler
The actor wrote via X, “@jimmykimmel his humor, his insights are important to keep showing us who we are . AND he is a most wonderful fellow.”
John Legend
On his Instagram Stories, the singer shared a social-media post by political commentator David Frum that read, “How dare you call us fascists just because our appointees threaten government retaliation against broadcast networks if their comedians don’t say what we want them to say.”
Christie Brinkley
The model posted a photo in her Instagram Stories that featured Kimmel smiling with fellow last-night hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver. Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Hearst Magazines
“I love these guys!” she wrote. “The laughter they provide us is as important as the air we breath! And they are taking another one of them off the air tonight! WE MUST PROTECT their and OUR 1st Anendnent RIGHTS!!!!”
