JIMMY Kimmel has been indefinitely suspended from his late-night show after joking about Donald Trump's reaction to Charlie Kirk's assassination.
Here's the exact monologue that led ABC to pull the 57-year-old Jimmy Kimmel Live! host off the air.
At the beginning of Monday night's show, Kimmel said, "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 and doing everything they can to score political points from it.
"In between the finger-pointing, the White House flew the flag at half-staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level, you can see how hard the president was taking this," he continued before the shop cut to a clip of Trump.
The president was seen standing on the White House lawn as a reporter asked him how he was "holding up" a day and a half following Kirk's death.
"I think very good," said Trump before abruptly pointing to trucks and saying they are starting construction on the new White House ballroom.
The show then cut back to Kimmel, who said, "He's at the fourth stage of grief: construction," before the audience burst out in laughter.
"This is not how an adult grieved the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish. OK?"
Kimmel said this wasn't the first time that Trump has dodged questions about Kirk, and the show cut to an interview the president had with Fox & Friends the morning after the conservative activist's death.
Trump told the hosts that he was chatting with architects about the White House project when he learned about the shooting before the show cut back to Kimmel.
"And then we installed the most beautiful chandelier," said Kimmel in a mocking Trump impression.
TV WARS
Meanwhile, Trump has celebrated the TV drama and congratulated ABC for punishing the host whom he said has "zero talent."
Speaking to reporters in a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, Trump said, "Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else.
"And he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk, and Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person.
"You can call that free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent."
In a Truth Social post shared before the conference, Trump wrote, "Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done."
Full text exchange between Tyler Robinson and his roommate
TYLER Robinson has been accused of admitting to killing Charlie Kirk in text messages obtained by detectives.
Here is a transcript of the messages, released by the Utah County District Attorney.
Robinson: Drop what you're doing. Look under my keyboard.
The note read, "I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I'm going to take it."
Roommate: What?????????????? You're joking. right????
Robinson: I am still ok my love, but am stuck in orem for a little while longer yet. Shouldn't be long until I can come home, but I gotta grab my rifle still. To be honest I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age. I am sorry to involve you.
Roommate: you weren't the one who did it right????
Robinson: I am, I'm sorry
Roommate: I thought they caught the person?
Robinson: no, they grabbed some crazy old dude, then interrogated someone in similar clothing. I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down. Its quiet, almost enough to get out, but theres one vehicle lingering.
Roommate: Why?
Robinson: Why did I do it?
Roommate: Yeah
Robinson: I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out. If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence. Going to attempt to retrieve it again, hopefully they have moved on. I haven't seen anything about them finding it.
Roommate: How long have you been planning this?
Robinson: a bit over a week I believe. I can get close to it but there is a squad car parked right by it. I think they already swept that spot, but I don't wanna chance it
Robinson: I'm wishing I had circled back and grabbed it as soon as I got to my vehicle…. I'm worried what my old man would do if I didn't bring back grandpas rifle… idek if it had a serial number, but it wouldn't trace to me. I worry about prints I had to leave it in a bush where I changed outfits. didn't have the ability or time to bring it with…. I might have to abandon it and hope they don't find prints. how the f**k will I explain losing it to my old man….
only thing I left was the rifle wrapped in a towel….
remember how I was engraving bullets? The f*****g messages are mostly a big meme, if I see "notices bulge uwu" on fox new I might have a stroke alright im gonna have to leave it, that really f*****g sucks.
judging from today I'd say grandpas gun does just fine idk. I think that was a $2k scope ;-;
Robinson: delete this exchange
Robinson: my dad wants photos of the rifle … he says grandpa wants to know who has what, the feds released a photo of the rifle, and it is very unique. Hes calling me rn, not answering.
Robinson: since Trump got into office [my dad] has been pretty diehard maga.
Robinson: Im gonna turn myself in willingly, one of my neighbors here is a deputy for the sheriff.
Robinson: you are all I worry about love
Roommate: I'm much more worried about you
Robinson: don't talk to the media please. don't take any interviews or make any comments … if any police ask you questions ask for a lawyer and stay silent
He then took a shot at fellow long-time critic Colbert, whose late-night show will end for good in May 2026 due to declining ratings.
"Kimmel has zero talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that's possible," Trump wrote.
NETWORK FALLOUT
Kimmel's fate was put on the chopping block after media company Nexstar urged its TV stations affiliated with ABC to halt airing Kimmel's show "for the foreseeable future."
"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 in a statement.
Andrew Alford, the president of Nexstar's broadcasting division, described the comments as "offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse."
He said that giving Kimmel a platform 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."
Kimmel has hosted the late-night program on ABC since 2003.
KIMMEL 'FURIOUS'
Trump-hating host Kimmel has reportedly been left "absolutely f*****g livid" by his show's sudden cancellation, according to sources who spoke with the Daily Mail.
The insiders claimed the late-night veteran was told about his suspension just hours before he was set to start filming.
"I've never seen Jimmy this angry," one source said.
Kimmel is holding a critical meeting with executives and is ready to "break his relationship with them forever," as he's plotting a guest appearance on CBS host Stephen Colbert's doomed show, the insiders claim.
"Jimmy is p****d 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 this contract.
"This is the last straw, and Jimmy is now looking to forever break his relationship with ABC forever."
Nexstar's full statement on Jimmy Kimmel's suspension
"Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXST), today announced that 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 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.
"'Mr. Kimmel's comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located,' said Andrew Alford, President of Nexstar's broadcasting division. '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.'"
KIRK'S ASSASSINATION
Tyler Robinson, 22, allegedly fired a single shot at Kirk as the conservative activist spoke with students at Utah Valley University in Orem on September 10, officials say.
The suspect turned himself in 33 hours after the shooting, once he confessed to the crime to his family, Utah Governor Spencer Cox said.
Kirk was an outspoken Trump supporter who traveled to college campuses with his multi-million-dollar nonprofit, Turning Point USA, to host Q&A sessions with students.
Detectives said they uncovered ammo cartridges beside the believed murder weapon with anti-fascist messages scrawled on the side, sparking fears the killing was politically motivated.
Text messages sent by Robinson after the shooting showed him explaining to his roommate that he killed Kirk because he "had enough" of the activist's "hatred," prosecutors say.
Charlie Kirk's rise to hero of the youth MAGA movement
CHARLIE Kirk transformed conservative youth activism from a marginal movement into a powerful force before his assassination on a college campus at 31.
Kirk was an American conservative political activist, author, and media personality who rose to prominence as the co-founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA).
He launched the organization in 2012 when he was just 18 years old, with the goal of promoting conservative principles to high school and college students and became a significant figure in American politics by building a massive grassroots network, framing himself as a "culture warrior."
The rise of Turning Point USA
Turning Point USA's mission was to counter what Kirk and his allies saw as liberal dominance on American college campuses.
It quickly grew to prominence through his use of provocative activism and viral social media campaigns.
They created watchlists of professors pushing leftist propaganda and organized events to debate students on controversial topics.
The strategy helped them gain a significant following and financial backing from wealthy conservative donors.
Kirk's ability to connect with a new generation of conservatives was one of his most notable impacts.
He cultivated a style of political engagement that was heavily reliant on social media, podcasts, and confrontational public appearances.
His organization's events, such as the annual Student Action Summit, drew thousands of young attendees and featured prominent conservative speakers, creating a new kind of political ecosystem for young people who felt alienated from traditional conservative groups.
A key ally of Donald Trump
Kirk also became a staunch supporter and ally of President Donald Trump.
He was the youngest speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention and served as an aide to Donald Trump Jr. during the presidential campaign.
This relationship solidified his position within the Republican Party's "MAGA" (Make America Great Again) wing, and his organization became an integral part of Trump's political apparatus.
Through his popular podcast, "The Charlie Kirk Show," and his frequent appearances on conservative media, Kirk was a powerful voice in the pro-Trump movement.
He often framed political issues as a "spiritual battle" between good and evil and championed a pugnacious, populist form of conservatism.
His influence was so significant that after Trump's 2024 victory, Kirk was credited with helping to mobilize younger voters for the campaign.
Influence on culture and social issues
Beyond traditional politics, Kirk's influence extended deeply into social and cultural issues.
He was a vocal opponent of "woke" ideology, particularly in education and media.
He promoted traditional values, often encouraging young women to prioritize becoming homemakers and mothers over professional careers.
Kirk also openly criticized programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
He was also a major proponent of Christian nationalism, arguing that there is no true separation of church and state in the United States.
The Turning Point Empire
Kirk's activism led to the expansion of the Turning Point brand into a larger political and media empire.
He launched Turning Point Action, a political advocacy group focused on voter mobilization, and Turning Point Faith, aimed at engaging evangelical Christian communities in conservative politics.
These affiliated organizations allowed him to broaden his reach and influence beyond college campuses, into a more mainstream political force.
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