In the heated aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s murder last week, ABC-owner Disney yanked host Jimmy Kimmel from his late-night slot on Wednesday, bowing to a pressure campaign from Donald Trump’s hand-picked media enforcer Brendan Carr at the FCC, as well as right-leaning network affiliates.

Conservative media giant Sinclair called on Kimmel to apologize directly to Kirk’s family over remarks he made in a monologue on Monday about the conservative activist’s killing, demanding Kimmel give a “meaningful personal donation” to them and Kirk’s far-right, anti-LGBTQ+ organization Turning Point USA, Newsweek reports.

Related

Donald Trump tells blatant lie about why Jimmy Kimmel was kicked off the air

Sinclair, which owns a large number of ABC affiliates, told the network it would indefinitely stop broadcasting Jimmy Kimmel Live! even before the network’s own suspension of the show.

In a rank display of authoritarianism, Carr threatened Disney at the president’s behest after Kimmel’s remarks about MAGA loyalists and Trump’s own reaction to Kirk’s death.

Insights for the LGBTQ+ community

Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today

“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr told right-wing commentator Benny Johnson. “These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

Disney pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! shortly thereafter.

On Monday night, Kimmel played a clip of Trump answering a reporter about how he was “holding up” after Kirk’s death.

“I think very good,” Trump responded on the White House driveway, “and by the way, right there, you see all the trucks. They just started construction of the new ballroom for the White House.”

Nonplussed, Kimmel said of Trump, “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”