The ABC chain surprised on Wednesday by announcing the immediate suspension of the program Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The decision comes hours after Brendan Car, president of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), insinuated in a podcast that could revorate the chain affiliation licenses.
According to CNNthe decision occurs as a way of forcing Disney to sanction the presenter for recent comments on the death of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The program team, which had more than two decades in the air, worked normally until shortly before the decision was known, which generated bewilderment between publicists, producers and executives of Hollywood. “We are all shocked,” admitted a publicist cited by CNN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L46R4TqyCr4
The humorist Wanda Sykes, guest of the night of the cancellation, summarized the climate by stating: “For those who pray, now it is time to do it.”
Although the chain clarified that The show has not been canceled definitively, there is no deadline for its return.
Outside the theater in Hollywood, some spectators waiting in a row for more than an hour described the measure of “ridiculous” and questioned their impact on freedom of expression.
The President Donald Trump He celebrated the suspension in his social Truth network, ensuring that the program “has had audience problems” and calling Kimmel “without talent.”
He also extended his criticism of other night presenters such as Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers.
Kimmel, known for his open opposition to Trump, renewed his contract in 2022 – vigient until May 2025 – after having considered leaving television. At that moment he joked that he was waiting for three years of “silent resignation.”
Now, his future in the chain is suspended in the midst of a highly polarized political climate in the United States.
