Stephen A. Smith criticized his Disney colleague Jimmy Kimmel after ABC suspended the late-night host indefinitely over remarks about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
ABC pulled Kimmel Live! from the air 'for the foreseeable future,' a network spokesman said. Disney owns ABC and ESPN, where Smith has worked since 2003. Deadline reported that Kimmel was set to address his remarks on Wednesday night before the axing, as the controversy intensified.
Stephen A. Smith appeared on his SiriusXM show Straight Shooter and asked, 'Where was the joke?' He said, 'The only thing that I would say as it pertains to Jimmy Kimmel is, where was the joke? Because you're a late-night host — and obviously that has a comedic attachment to it. Where was the joke? Obviously, it wasn't anything funny about that.'
On his eponymous YouTube program, Smith softened his stance toward Kimmel, stating: 'To hear the news of Jimmy Kimmel being taken off the air, I was not happy about it. Not at all.' He added that Kimmel is 'a good man' with 'heart in the right place' who has served the Disney-ABC family for decades. 'I certainly hope that ultimately he ends up back on the air, and if he doesn't end up back on the air, I hope he lives a very long and well and prosperous life.' He concluded that, despite those sentiments, 'what transpired between him and [President Donald Trump] didn't appear to be the wisest move in the world.'
Kimmel’s monologue about Kirk included criticism of the suspect's political identity; he said, '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 from it.'
Authorities say the suspect in Kirk’s death, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was taken into custody and charged with aggravated murder; investigators described the shooter as having far-left ideologies and noted Robinson had a relationship with his transgender roommate.
Nexstar, the network's affiliate group, said it 'strongly objects' to Kimmel's comments and would replace the show in ABC-affiliated markets. Deadline had reported that Kimmel was set to address the remarks on his show Wednesday night before the decision to suspend him was announced.
Across Disney's portfolio, the episode underscores ongoing tensions around political humor and the boundaries of commentary within entertainment-media companies.