ABC pulls ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ indefinitely after offensive Charlie Kirk comments; “MAGA gang” was trying to score political points off Kirk’s murder

Jimmy Kimmel is taking an involuntary hiatus.

ABC announced it is pulling the comedian’s late-night talk show from the air “indefinitely” following his controversial comments about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be pre-empted indefinitely,” an ABC spokesperson confirmed to The Post on Wednesday, Sept. 17.

Kimmel, 57, faced backlash after he stated Monday night that the “MAGA gang” was trying to score political points off Kirk’s murder. Kirk was shot dead on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10.

“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 during his monologue.

Nexstar Media Group, a major broadcast company and primary ABC affiliate, confirmed it would “preempt” Kimmel’s program in response to his remarks.

“The company’s 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,” Nexstar said in a press release.

“Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets,” the statement continued.

Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, added that Kimmel’s “comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse.”

“We do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located. 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 said.

The Post reached out to Kimmel’s representatives for comment.

Kimmel’s remarks also drew attention from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), with Chairman Brendan Carr suggesting Wednesday that the host’s monologue could have regulatory consequences.

In an interview with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson, Carr described the comedian’s comments as “some of the sickest conduct possible,” hinting at possible FCC action.

“Any license granted by us at the FCC comes with the obligation to operate in the public interest,” Carr explained, referencing federal regulations that prohibit “news distortion.”

“Frankly, when you see stuff like this, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. 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,” Carr continued.

The FCC chairman suggested that a public apology from Kimmel would be “a very reasonable, minimal step” for the comedian, ABC, and parent company Disney.

“There are calls for Kimmel to be fired. I think there’s certainly a path forward for a suspension over this. The FCC will have remedies we could consider. This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney,” Carr added.

Kimmel is not the first late-night host to have a show pulled following political controversy.

In July, it was announced that Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show” would end after its next season. Although CBS stated it was “purely a financial decision,” some speculated it was in response to Colbert’s remark about Paramount’s $16 million settlement with President Donald Trump over a “60 Minutes” interview, calling it a “big fat bribe.”