Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel criticized Vice President JD Vance during his monologue on Tuesday, September 16. Kimmel addressed statements made by Vance while he was guest-hosting Charlie Kirk’s podcast after the conservative activist’s assassination on September 10, 2025.
Vance appeared on Kirk’s show following the death of the 31-year-old at Utah Valley University. During the podcast, Vance claimed that most political extremists in the United States are from the far left, a claim that drew immediate criticism from Kimmel.
Kimmel disputed Vance’s assertion, citing Justice Department findings that identify far-right groups as the primary source of domestic terrorism and extremist violence in the country. Kimmel noted the recent removal of this official report from the department’s website.
Kimmel directly challenged the vice president’s narrative, questioning who had threatened former Vice President Mike Pence during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. He asked if it was liberal leftists or Trump supporters who had entered the Capitol that day.
The confrontation arises amid broader tensions related to late-night television’s political coverage. ABC announced on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 17, that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would be suspended indefinitely. The suspension lasted six days, from September 17 through September 22, with Disney announcing Kimmel’s return on Monday, September 22, and the show resuming on September 23.
On Monday, Kimmel had criticized Trump supporters’ attempts to distance themselves from Kirk’s alleged killer. Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr subsequently deemed Kimmel’s remarks offensive and suggested the agency could penalize broadcasters airing the program.
Nexstar Media Group, the largest provider of local news in the country, announced it would remove Kimmel’s show from its many ABC affiliates. Company officials stated that Kimmel’s comments were inappropriate during a sensitive period in national political discourse and did not reflect “community values” in their markets.
President Trump supported the suspension, celebrating the decision on his Truth Social platform. Trump described the cancellation as positive news for America and suggested that NBC should also remove Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers from the air.
Video footage captured Kimmel leaving his Hollywood, California, studio on Wednesday evening wearing casual clothes and a baseball cap, carrying a backpack as he was guided to a vehicle. Workers were seen removing equipment from the studio as protesters gathered with signs calling for Trump’s removal from office.
Comedian Wanda Sykes, who was scheduled to appear as Kimmel’s guest Wednesday night, recorded a video message after her appearance was canceled. Sykes noted that Trump had not resolved major international conflicts in his first week but had managed to impact freedom of speech within his first year in office.
The controversy divided media personalities along political lines. Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, despite past disagreements with Kimmel, expressed sadness over the suspension. O’Reilly acknowledged Kimmel as a dedicated father and said he did not celebrate the show’s cancellation, though he criticized the comedian’s recent comments as irresponsible.
Several entertainment industry figures, including Ben Stiller, Sophia Bush, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Don Lemon, expressed concern about the implications for free speech. Also, Robert De Niro, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, and Meryl Streep signed an ACLU open letter defending free speech.
ABC temporarily replaced Kimmel’s time slot with reruns of “Celebrity Family Feud” hosted by Steve Harvey. The network sent memos to over 150 affiliate stations informing them of the programming change, with formal guidance from Disney headquarters.
Sinclair Broadcasting, the largest ABC affiliate group in the country, initially announced plans to air a special tribute to Kirk (though this was later moved to YouTube instead) and called for Kimmel to issue a direct apology to the Kirk family and make a personal donation to Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk co-founded in 2012.
However, major broadcasters Sinclair and Nexstar, operating more than 35 ABC affiliates combined, announced they would continue to preempt the show on their stations even after ABC’s reinstatement decision. On September 26, both companies reversed their positions and announced they would resume airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! on their respective ABC affiliate stations starting that evening.
In his return monologue, Kimmel remained defiant, declaring that “our government cannot be allowed to control what we do and do not say on television,” and addressing critics while defending free speech principles.
