Jimmy Kimmel livid as ABC axes late-night show after backlash over his remarks on Charlie Kirk shooting
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Jimmy Kimmel is said to be “absolutely f*****g livid” after ABC abruptly yanked 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' off the air following his controversial tirade about Charlie Kirk’s killing.
The move blindsided the late-night host just hours before showtime. Insiders say the comedian is ready to torch his relationship with the network once and for all.
Jimmy Kimmel goes nuclear
According to the Daily Mail, Kimmel held a tense crunch meeting with top brass but is already plotting an escape route. One source told the outlet, "Jimmy is pissed over the decision to suspend him and the show, and he isn't going to take this lightly, as he is actively looking for ways to get out of his contract. This is the last straw, and Jimmy is now looking to forever break his relationship with ABC."
The source revealed Kimmel is already in talks to hop over to Stephen Colbert’s turf.
“Stephen Colbert is already looking to get Jimmy on his show as a guest in the next couple of days or within the week," they said. "Now they both are in the same predicament, being against the Trump administration, and they are now looking to do something together to fight for what they believe in. They both don't want Trump to win in any way or fashion at all, and this has lit an extreme fire under Jimmy's a** to continue to tell it like it is and be real to himself."
Meanwhile, a rattled producer described the scene behind the scenes.
“Well, now I don't have anything to do, we're shut down indefinitely. We're all here and were basically wandering around like aimless cows," they said. "Jimmy is going to meet with the network now and hopefully figure this out, but he is livid. Absolutely f*****g livid.”
FCC, Nexstar and Disney drop the hammer
The trouble started Monday night when Kimmel suggested the gunman behind Kirk’s murder was a MAGA Republican.
“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 and doing everything they can to score political points from it," he fumed on-air.
The problem is that investigators say the shooter actually has far-left sympathies.
By Wednesday, FCC Chair Brendan Carr urged broadcasters to dump Kimmel and hinted at a possible federal probe. Nexstar Media Group, which owns a boatload of ABC affiliates, promptly branded his rant “offensive and insensitive."
"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 company wrote.
Within hours, Disney-owned ABC announced that 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' was “pre-empted indefinitely.”
Tonight, viewers will get Steve Harvey and Celebrity Family Feud instead of Kimmel.
Crew revolt and talk of retaliation
The reaction was apocalyptic inside the Kimmel camp. One producer blasted the shutdown as government overreach.
“There's no such thing as free speech in America, if the government can lean on companies to stop any content they don't like," they told the Daily Mail. "And shame on the network for caving into the pressure. He didn't even say anything that bad — but even if he did, that's freedom of speech.”
The producer said Kimmel isn’t just fighting for his show.
“Jimmy said he's going to fight this, not even because he cares so much for the show, although he does, but because he cares about the precedent. He can't make a comment about Charlie Kirk? Look over at all the s**t that they're saying on Fox. Look at what they say on South Park. This is persecution, and Jimmy isn't going to stand for it. And he has a lot of friends who are going to cause problems if suddenly he doesn't have a show," they ranted.
"He'll get every friend he has to stop doing ABC shows. You want to book someone on the view? Good f***** luck. How f*****g dare they?" the producer fumed. "As pissed off as I am, you can only imagine how Jimmy is. He's beside himself. I've never seen him this angry, ever. It's bad."
