Leading MAGA personalities were reveling in the news that ABC was indefinitely suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live! after complaints over host Jimmy Kimmel’s comments about the Charlie Kirk shooting in his monologue on Tuesday night’s show.
In a flurry of events, Kimmel’s comment about the Kirk shooting drew condemnation from Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr on Wednesday. That, in turn, prompted one group of ABC affiliates, owned by Nexstar Media Group, to declare they will not air Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the immediate future, which then led ABC to announce the show was being taken off the air “indefinitely.”
The uproar started after Kimmel said suspected Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson was a MAGA Republican. “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,” Kimmel said.
On Wednesday evening, several right-wing figures were quick to celebrate the cancellation, with many seeing it as appropriate action given Kimmel’s comments about Kirk. Others saw it as retribution for what they said was years of cancellations suffered by conservatives, and others felt that it was comeuppance for Kimmel for his many years of being an outspoken critic of Donald Trump.
YouTube pundit Benny Johnson, among the loudest MAGA voices who were calling for action against Kimmel, tweeted after the show was pulled, “2 years ago. Jimmy Kimmel: “I’m telling you right now Donald Trump is going to jail.” He is now cancelled and unemployed.”
In a followup tweet, Johnson wrote, “Jimmy Kimmel lied about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, blamed him for his own murder, and mocked him on air. The line was crossed. Thanks to FCC pressure and Nexstar and Sinclair pulling him from millions of homes, his platform is destroyed. He’s finished. Will never recover. This isn’t cancel culture. This is CONSEQUENCE culture. For Charlie Kirk.”
Johnson’s wife Kate Johnson also tweeted, “My husband @bennyjohnson made this happen. FAFO.”
Die-hard MAGA activist Laura Loomer tweeted a number of times about the Kimmel news, including that “Jimmy Kimmel’s career just got assassinated. Who is laughing now? @jimmykimmel.” Loomer also tweeted, “Laura Loomer Live! It’s got a nice ring to it @ABC. Just saying!”
Jeremy Hambly, a popular MAGA YouTube pundit known as The Quartering, was also in joyous mood over Kimmel’s canceling and called for more scalps. “Stephen Colbert Is Gone Jimmy Kimmel Is Gone. We’re not done yet. Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers. All Have To Go,” Hambly tweeted.
Hambly also looked to square the MAGA calls for cancellations with their supposed support for free speech. “I don’t want to hear from anyone on the Left about the first amendment now. They de-platformed. [Doctors] speaking against the covid vaccine. Small businesses backing trump. Citizens for posting pro-trump memes. Grandma’s at J6. I haven’t forgotten. We’re playing by your rules now.”
Political pundit Steven Crowder tweeted, “Jimmy Kimmel, might I suggest one of those lowly “podcasts.” I look forward to your competition bereft of corporate daddies/overlords.”
Trump-supporting comedian and pundit Terrence K. Williams tweeted, “Jimmy Kimmel does have Free Speech, he is free to speak just not on ABC.”
The Daily Wire‘s Matt Walsh was also unflinching, tweeting, “Jimmy Kimmel lied about Charlie’s assassination and used the opportunity to defame Charlie’s own friends and allies. He deserves to be fired for it. These are the repercussions that conservatives have been experiencing for years for infractions not nearly as egregious. Good riddance, Kimmel, you disgusting scumbag.”