Jimmy Kimmel’s present pulled off air ‘minutes’ earlier than filming, crew ‘shocked’
Jimmy Kimmel Live! was pulled from the air on Wednesday night after the host was suspended following his monologue about the death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk
The team behind Jimmy Kimmel Live! were reportedly left “shocked” when the show was abruptly pulled off air, only discovering the news as it broke in the media.
The popular late-night chat show was yanked from broadcast on Wednesday (17 September) night following a backlash over Kimmel’s recent monologue concerning the death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. An insider revealed that the events unfolded so rapidly that neither Jimmy nor his crew were informed; instead, they learnt about the suspension as the news spread widely.
“Things transpired very fast. Word filtered down to the individual stations around 3 pm that Jimmy would get pulled and it sent station heads panicking,” the source disclosed. “Jimmy and the crew were getting ready to film when, at 3:45pm, news broke widely and that’s how the crew found out. They were shocked.”
According to the show’s website, taping for Jimmy Kimmel Live! typically commences at 4:30pm, reports the Mirror
Speaking to The Sun, the source further revealed that Disney and ABC staff at all levels had been treading on thin ice recently. They also mentioned that news stations had to make their own decision about whether to discuss the situation surrounding Kimmel’s show, as ABC were declining to issue a statement.
“ABC wouldn’t give a statement to affiliates so they could properly cover the story themselves. That left some stations in a situation where they had to make the call to skip coverage of the Kimmel story altogether in their newscasts.”
The source explained that, contrary to certain reports circulating, the programme hadn’t been axed and that staff members were still receiving their wages.
The programme has been put on hold indefinitely following Kimmel’s remarks about the Charlie Kirk shooting, according to ABC.
During his Monday monologue, the presenter declared: “The MAGA gang is desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
He further claimed that Republican backers were attempting to “score political points” from Kirk’s tragic death.
Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, a broadcasting watchdog, issued warnings against ABC and its parent corporation, Disney, claiming Kimmel was “appearing to directly mislead the American public.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr declared on conservative podcast The Benny Show.
“These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Kirk, a right-wing political campaigner, was gunned down whilst delivering a speech at a Utah university on 10 September.
Prosecutors are allegedly pursuing capital punishment for his killer, Tyler Robinson.
On the day Kirk perished, Kimmel denounced the assault and expressed “love” to his relatives. President Donald J Trump, speaking earlier this week, claimed that Kimmel was sacked due to “he had bad ratings” and being “not a talented person”.
Several Hollywood personalities, including Ben Stiller and Hacks’ Jean Smart, have voiced their opinions on Kimmel’s suspension. Stiller expressed his disagreement with the suspension, while Smart posted on her Instagram: “What Jimmy said was free speech, not hate speech.”
Kimmel has yet to comment.
Kimmel’s show suspension is the most recent in a string of disputes between Trump’s administration and the media. Trump has settled with CBS and ABC over separate stories, and it’s rumoured that his case with CBS led to the cancellation of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert after 11 seasons.
Trump has also initiated legal proceedings against the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
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