Conan O’Brien is condemning ABC’s suspension of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after pressure from the Trump-aligned Federal Communications Commission chair on local broadcasters that aired the program.
Kimmel had criticized the right-wing response to last week’s fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, leading to what an ABC spokesperson told HuffPost is an “indefinite” leave — a move celebrated by President Donald Trump. Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest owners of local TV stations in the U.S., had said they would pull the show after conservative uproar and a threat of action by FCC chair Brendan Carr.
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O’Brien, a former late night host himself, reacted Friday on X, formerly Twitter.
“The suspension of @jimmykimmel and the promise to silence other Late Night hosts for criticizing the administration should disturb everyone on the Right, Left, and Center,” O’Brien wrote Friday. “It’s wrong and anyone with a conscience knows it’s wrong.”
Trump applauded Kimmel’s suspension just as he did when CBS canceled “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” earlier this year. In a post Wednesday on his Truth Social platform, the president congratulated ABC for their “courage” and urged NBC to follow suit.
“Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible,” Trump wrote. “That leaves Jimmy [Fallon] and Seth [Meyers], two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT.”
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Kimmel was suspended for comments Monday about Kirk’s suspected 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,” Kimmel said during his monologue.
His remarks came after Republicans swiftly blamed “the radical left” for Kirk’s fatal shooting at Utah Valley University. Trump, Vice President JD Vance and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller have all vowed to crack down on the supposedly culpable group.
O’Brien, seen here as a guest on Kimmel’s show in February, said the suspension is “wrong.” Randy Holmes/Disney/Getty Images
Carr argued in an interview Thursday on CNBC that his obligation is to ensure “broadcasters are serving the public interest,” and said that companies have “every right” to suspend programs they deem a disservice.
The move was widely criticized by Democratic pundits, lawmakers and celebrities. Even right-wing voices such as former Fox News host Tucker Carlson have decried the ousting. On Thursday, former President Barack Obama weighed in.
He wrote on X, “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.”