Disney-owned ABC announced Monday that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will return after a near one-week suspension following Kimmel’s remarks about MAGA supporters and the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. ABC had remained silent for days, allowing speculation to fill the gap. In that void, media outlets on the left and right pushed narratives rooted in assumption rather than fact.
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” Disney said in a statement. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.”
Kimmel said during Monday’s episode, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything but one of them and doing anything they can to score political points from it.”
Left media narrative
Outlets, including MSNBC, CNN, and ABC News, suggested the suspension was part of an alleged crackdown on free speech by President Donald Trump.
“This is just the latest in Donald Trump’s ongoing campaign to crack down on free speech, dominate the media, and essentially render the First Amendment meaningless,” MSNBC’s Chris Hayes said.
Headlines from some left-leaning outlets credited FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr — a Trump appointee — with helping “take down” Kimmel.
But while Carr had called on ABC to “take action” against Kimmel, the FCC lacks regulatory power over networks. An FCC spokesperson clarified that no FCC action was taken because the agency does not have the power to do so.
“We don’t license the networks,” FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez told CNN. “We cannot pull local licenses simply because they air content he (Brendan Carr) does not like.”
Right media narrative
Right-leaning commentators argued the suspension was really about bad ratings.
“The reality is that his show sucked,” Fox News host Emily Compagno said. “No one watched it, so when he peddles filthy lies, that’s the last straw, not the first.
Fox News panelists pointed out that Kimmel’s audience has declined sharply over the past decade. The numbers support that belief.
- In 2015, “Jimmy Kimmel Live” averaged 2.4 million viewers.
- In 2025, the show is averaging 1.6 million — down 37%.
- In the key 25-54 demographic, viewership fell from 1 million in 2015 to 261,000 this year — a 72% drop.
Still, ABC never cited ratings as a factor in its decision to suspend the show.
Identified types of media bias
The competing narratives from left- and right-leaning outlets also highlight two common types of media bias: bias by flawed logic and bias by unsubstantiated claims.
Flawed logic occurs when commentators jump to conclusions that don’t follow from the evidence — such as assuming Kimmel’s declining ratings were the cause of his suspension, despite ABC never saying that.
Unsubstantiated claims appear when outlets report speculation as fact without providing proof, as seen in headlines crediting FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr with “taking down” Kimmel, even though the FCC had no authority over the network and took no formal action.
Other context over marketplace pressure
Beyond the media narratives, ABC also faced market pressure from its biggest partners, and it still does.
Nexstar, which owns or operates more than 200 local stations, including 28 ABC affiliates, issued a statement calling Kimmel’s comments “offensive and insensitive” and pulled the show from air.
Nexstar announced that even with ABC lifting the suspension, it will continue to replace the programming.
“We made a decision last week to preempt ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ following what ABC referred to as Mr. Kimmel’s ‘ill-timed and insensitive’ comments at a critical time in our national discourse,” Nexstar said in the statement. “We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve.”
Sinclair, the nation’s largest operator of ABC affiliates, followed suit, releasing an initial statement saying its 38 local ABC channels would not broadcast Jimmy Kimmel — and then it doubled down. Sinclair released another statement Monday saying it will continue to keep Kimmel off the air in its markets even after ABC’s suspension was lifted. However, Sinclair said talks with the network were in progress over the show’s potential return.
The loss of distribution on dozens of local stations reduces the show’s reach by 25% and creates potential financial headaches for the network with advertisers.
Free speech concerns
Carr’s comments sparked concern about government overreach.
“We can do this the hard way or the easy way,” Carr said on Benny Johnson’s podcast, “The Benny Show,” urging companies to “take action” against Kimmel.
While left-leaning media framed this as proof of government intervention, some Republican senators warned against drawing that conclusion but still criticized Carr’s language.
“What he said there is dangerous as hell,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said.
“The government has no business in it, and I’ll fight any attempt by the government to get involved in speech,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky, said.
Even some conservative-leaning outlets like The Free Press warned that any FCC coercion “undermines our most fundamental values.”
Just as some Republicans have called for a cool down of rhetoric on their own political side, some Democrats are doing the same.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., told CNN, “We have to turn down the temperature.”
When asked about Democrats claiming that Trump is acting like an autocrat, Fetterman said: “Last night people protested ‘Hitler, Hitler,’ you just don’t compare anyone to Hitler or to those extreme things.
The bottom line
For days, Americans were told by the media that Kimmel’s suspension was about Trump, the FCC, or low ratings. ABC finally made clear: It was a temporary decision over “insensitive” comments.
But in the gap of silence, media bias stepped in — turning a programming decision into a political story that both sides of the aisle were eager to exploit.
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