Last year, shortly after Jimmy Kimmel made a comment related to the shooting of late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, ABC (a Disney affiliate) pulled his late-night television show off the air for about one week. The temporary suspension of the show sparked a nationwide debate, which was ignited less than a year later when Kimmel jokingly mocked the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner two days before the event, where a shooting took place. Melania Trump and Donald Trump called for the TV host to be fired, so could it actually happen?
Below, find out what Kimmel’s “indefinite” hiatus means for him and his show.
Has Jimmy Kimmel Been Fired by ABC?
No, Kimmel was never fired, but an “indefinite” break from ABC sparked rumors of a cancelation last year. Less than a week later, a spokesperson for ABC confirmed that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would return on September 23, 2025.
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” the statement read, per Deadline. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
As of April 2026, he has not been fired by ABC, though both the president and first lady called for the network to cancel Kimmel.
Jimmy Kimmel’s full comments on Charlie Kirk which led to his show being taken off air indefinitely. pic.twitter.com/Ctg7LL8HWL
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 18, 2025
What Did Jimmy Kimmel Say About Charlie Kirk? His Comments
Kimmel actually condemned the shooting of Kirk, which took place at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025.
“Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?” Kimmel wrote on Instagram after Kirk died. “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.”
What Did Jimmy Kimmel Say About Tyler Robinson?
After Tyler Robinson was named the primary suspect in Kirk’s murder, Kimmel said, “The MAGA Gang (is) 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. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
Why Was Jimmy Kimmel Suspended by ABC?
Kimmel was suspended because of his comments related to Robinson, Kirk’s suspected shooter. Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission, criticized Kimmel on Benny Johnson’s show.
“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said. “Disney needs to see some change here, but the individual licensed stations that are taking their content, it’s time for them to step up and say this, you know, garbage to the extent that that’s what comes down the pipe in the future isn’t something that we think serves the needs of our local communities. … There’s calls for Kimmel to be fired. I think you could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this.”
What Did Kimmel Say About Melania Trump?
During a taping of his late-night show on April 23, 2026, Jimmy joked about the Trumps in a mock version of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. He described Melania as having a “glow like an expectant widow,” then joked about Donald’s depiction of himself as Jesus Christ.
“Our first lady is here. Mrs. Trump … you have a glow like an expectant widow,” Jimmy said. “By the way, in the unfortunate event that our president has a medical emergency tonight, do we have a doctor in the house — oh, I’m sorry. I mean, do we have a Jesus in the house? I always confuse them, too.”
Four days later, Melania took to X to call Jimmy a “coward.”
