Jimmy Kimmel stands firm, does not apologize for comments about Charlie Kirk after his show is taken off the air indefinitely

Jimmy Kimmel staunchly defended himself on Thursday after ABC staff reportedly yielded to pressure from Disney executives following remarks he made about Charlie Kirk, sources told the Post.

The popular late-night host, who makes $16 million a year, hasn’t offered an apology for his controversial comments that many believe could jeopardize his show. He was seen leaving his Los Angeles home in the afternoon and heading to an office complex in Century City that houses multiple law firms.

Insiders say that Kimmel’s fate could hang in the balance after his opening monologue on Monday, where he incorrectly stated that he played a role in Kirk’s death on September 10th.

“He said he was worse,” the insider revealed regarding Kimmel’s admission.

Interestingly, Kimmel, 57, has spent a lot of time criticizing President Trump and his supporters. Last year, nearly all his monologues focused on the President.

In the past two weeks alone, Trump has been a consistent topic in Kimmel’s segments, taking up more than ten minutes of each episode.

“Get political points”

On Wednesday night, Kimmel’s show was taken off the air “indefinitely” after he suggested that Tyler Robinson, who is accused of murdering Kirk, was associated with extremist groups, claiming that Trump supporters were misplacing blame on the left for political violence.

“We hit some new lows over the weekend. The Magagangs are trying to paint this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as one of them, doing everything they can to score political points,” Kimmel stated in his Monday monologue.

Reports indicated that Robinson had written anti-trans and anti-fascist messages on his bullets before the shooting.

FCC Chairman Brendan Kerr criticized Kimmel’s comments in a CNBC interview on Thursday, asserting they were “directly misleading.”

According to sources, Kimmel’s remarks weren’t spontaneous but were scripted by a writer who went through the regular pre-show vetting process.

“ABC is foolish,” an insider commented. “They should have edited Kimmel’s remarks. They’re aware of Trump’s influence. Their standards unit should have caught this.”

Staffers at Disney-owned ABC have reportedly expressed frustration over the decision to suspend Kimmel, recalling that he started his show in 2003 following other controversial statements from notable figures.

“Everyone is worried about their job security,” said one source, noting that many were questioning Kimmel’s situation during an editorial meeting on Thursday.

“Everyone’s discussing it, but no one has documented anything,” they added in response to inquiries about how higher-ups were handling the situation.

“I wasn’t kidding.”

The suspension decision was made by Disney CEO Bob Iger and TV chief Dana Walden, the Post reports.

Kimmel was informed of his show’s pause during a call with Walden on Wednesday afternoon.

The latest on Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension after Charlie Kirk’s comments

The suspension followed mounting pressure from ABC affiliate stations’ major owners, Nexstar and Sinclair. Nexstar is also seeking approval from the Trump administration for a $6.2 billion acquisition of rival Tegna.

Just hours before Kimmel’s suspension, a Trump appointee suggested that the Federal Communications Commission might have grounds to intervene with ABC and Disney.

Kerr, addressing viewer backlash, expressed that Kimmel’s history of anti-Trump jokes had become problematic.

“The issues here have stirred a lot of people, but I wasn’t joking,” said the FCC chairman, appointed by Trump.

Kerr added that Kimmel’s remarks seemed to mislead the public regarding significant political events, calling it one of the most important incidents in recent history.

President Trump has publicly welcomed Kimmel’s suspension, referring to it as “great news for America,” and praised ABC for their actions.

It remains uncertain what the future holds for Kimmel on the network, as his show had seen a drop in viewership from 1.95 million in January to about 1.1 million the previous month.

Sources indicated that the decision may have been the “last straw” for Kimmel, who reportedly feels “completely blindsided” by the news.

“Jimmy is upset about being sidelined and is looking to exit his contract; he’s not taking this lightly,” the source said.

However, despite the backlash, Kimmel has thus far refused to apologize, believing he has nothing to regret.

He has communicated to executives his intent to clarify his remarks but continues to criticize Trump supporters.

In Kimmel’s absence, ABC is airing “Celebrity Family Feud,” while numerous ABC affiliate stations will feature special programming titled “Charlie Kirk’s Memories” this Friday under the Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which has apologized to Kimmel and requested a significant personal donation on his part to Turning Point USA.