Riley Gaines has publicly criticized actor Ben Stiller after he defended Jimmy Kimmel's remarks regarding the assassination of political commentator Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead in Utah last week. The comments come as ABC announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been suspended indefinitely, with the network saying the show will be replaced in ABC-affiliated markets by other programming for the foreseeable future.
Stiller weighed in on the controversy by posting on X, saying, “This isn’t right” in response to Kimmel's dismissal. Gaines, a former NCAA All-American swimmer and ally of Charlie Kirk, quickly fired back on X, arguing that Stiller’s post overlooked what she described as the gravity of Kirk’s death and the surrounding political discourse. She wrote that Stiller hadn’t acknowledged “the most consequential political assassination in 50+ years” and highlighted what she characterized as a broader trend in which a husband and father can be killed while others focus on a comedian losing a show. She added that the sentiment reflects “a chilling sign of the times.”
Kimmel had addressed the shooting and Kirk’s death on his Monday monologue, criticizing what he called the MAGA gang for attempting to score political points from the tragedy. In the wake of the remarks, the network confirmed the show’s hiatus, and Nexstar, the network's affiliate group, said it would replace the program with other content in its ABC-affiliated markets. Deadline reported that Kimmel was expected to address his remarks on Wednesday night before learning he had been axed. Investigators have said the suspect in the Utah case—Tyler Robinson, 22—was taken into custody and faced charges including aggravated murder; Kimmel's characterization of the shooter as primarily political has drawn scrutiny, as authorities have indicated Robinson held far-left ideologies and was in a romantic relationship with his transgender roommate.
Gaines has previously described her connection to the late Charlie Kirk, who she sat with at a San Francisco State University event in May. She recalled a conversation with Kirk’s widow, Erika, who reportedly told Gaines that her greatest fear was the MAGA star being assassinated. Gaines said Erika is a kind and compassionate woman, and she described how the tragedy has affected two children who lost their father. In her public posts, Gaines framed the event as a test of discourse and safety in a climate where political viewpoints rapidly collide with personal risk. She has said Kirk’s impact—through Turning Point and his work with young conservatives—has been transformative for many, and she expressed concern about how the conversation around his death is unfolding in the media."