Jimmy Kimmel refused to apologize for remarks that landed him in hot water. He planned to hit back at Donald Trump supporters, saying they "purposefully twisted" his words. Before he could, Disney executives pulled him off the air.
Disney sidelined Kimmel "indefinitely" on Wednesday. The move followed his controversial comments about the assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk. Pressure poured in from ABC affiliates and even the FCC, sparking a national fight over free speech and censorship.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Kimmel wanted to address it in his monologue. But Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden, normally one of his allies, thought his words "could make the situation worse."
The Journal reported Kimmel was ready to say his words were being "purposefully twisted" by the MAGA movement. Walden and Disney CEO Bob Iger decided to bench him. Nexstar, which owns 32 ABC stations, said it would drop his show. Sinclair also pulled the plug and demanded an apology.
The firestorm started Monday. Kimmel accused conservatives of hitting "new lows" in trying to spin the accused killer, Tyler Robinson. "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," Kimmel said.
His comments came just after FBI officials and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Robinson had a "leftist ideology." Reports also revealed Robinson had a romantic relationship with a transgender partner. Prosecutors confirmed those ties in Tuesday’s indictment.
Kimmel "was not planning on apologizing" and felt his remarks didn’t require one, The Hollywood Reporter said. CNN added his planned monologue was "very hot" and needed to "take down the temperature." Disney stayed silent when asked for comment.
"Jimmy Kimmel Live!" has struggled for years in ratings. It drew 2.4 million viewers in 2015 but has slid steadily, falling to just 1.6 million in 2025. The drop in the key 25-54 demo is even steeper—down 72% in a decade.