ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the air Wednesday night after backlash to remarks by host Jimmy Kimmel about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Nexstar Media Group, which runs ABC’s primary affiliates, confirmed the preemption and said the episode would be replaced with reruns. The decision came just hours before Kimmel was scheduled to address the controversy on air, according to people familiar with the plan.
Moments after the decision was announced, Guillermo Rodriguez, Kimmel’s longtime sidekick, was photographed outside the El Capitan Entertainment Centre in Los Angeles, where the show is taped. Images obtained by The New York Post show Rodriguez in a downcast mood in the back alley of the studio while leaving the premises, his windows rolled up as he drove away. Rodriguez, who has been with the program since its inception in 2003, became a regular on the late-night stage and later hosted his own segments with celebrities and on red-carpet coverage.
Rodriguez has not publicly commented on the preemption, and a spokesperson for the show did not respond to requests for comment. The network indicated the decision to pull the episode reflected concerns tied to the remarks and their aftermath rather than a standard schedule change. Kimmel had been slated to address the matter in Wednesday’s monologue, but the cancellation came at the eleventh hour, according to people briefed on the situation.
Insiders told the Daily Mail that Kimmel is “absolutely f—king livid” about the move and that he was meeting with network executives to discuss next steps. One account framed the decision as a response to political pressure, with a separate claim describing it as a form of government overreach. Reuters and other outlets did not independently confirm those characterizations, but the preemption was widely reported across entertainment outlets and social media.
The controversy centers on Kimmel’s remarks about what he described as the MAGA faction attempting to score political points from the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot while speaking at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem. Officials have identified the suspect as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who has been arrested and charged in connection with Kirk’s death. The shooting occurred as Kirk spoke at the Utah campus, drawing immediate national attention and prompting sharp commentary from late-night hosts.
Kimmel’s broader commentary on the incident amplified the debate over political rhetoric in late-night television and the degree to which networks should police or pull content that touches on real-world violence. A post attributed to former President Donald Trump on Truth Social celebrated ABC’s decision, urging NBC to follow suit with Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show and Seth Meyers’ Late Night, arguing that Kimmel’s program had low ratings. The posts from Trump and others contributed to the climate in which the network weighed whether to proceed with the live show.
The decision by Nexstar to preempt Kimmel’s program also falls within a broader industry context. In July, CBS announced that Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show would end in May 2026 after its next season, signaling a reshaping of the late-night landscape as networks respond to evolving audience tastes and political sensitivities. Analysts say the latest move underscores the precarious balance between entertainment and political discourse in late-night TV and the way networks respond to episodes that generate controversy beyond the studio.
As ABC navigates the fallout, questions remain about what comes next for Jimmy Kimmel Live! and for Guillermo Rodriguez, whose on-air persona crossed over into everyday pop culture during the show’s two-decade run. The production continues to assess tone, timing, and potential responses, while viewers await what executive producers and the network decide to air in place of the missed episode.
