Late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallon recently addressed the cancellation of fellow host Jimmy Kimmel’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! by ABC.
Kimmel’s talk show was pulled off-air following comments he made during an episode about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
According to Nexstar, the comedian’s remarks were "offensive and insensitive.”
Highlights
- Jimmy Fallon broke his silence on Jimmy Kimmel’s cancellation, mocking the Trump administration’s “censorship.”
- Hours after Kimmel’s suspension, Fallon abruptly canceled his scheduled appearance at an Innovation Festival in New York City.
- Trump celebrated Kimmel’s firing on social media, calling him talentless and urging that Fallon and Seth Meyers be canceled next.
- “This is blatant censorship,” talk-show host Stephen Colbert slammed ABC over their decision to drop Kimmel.
“Apparently Trump wants to be exclusive on the comedy stage,” wrote one social media user.
Jimmy Fallon addressed the sudden cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel’s talk show on his ‘The Tonight Show’
Image credits: Douglas Gorenstein / Getty Images
The right-wing political conservative was fatally attacked on September 10 during a university debate.
On the September 15 episode of his now-canceled show, Kimmel addressed Kirk's passing and President Trump’s reaction, while discussing the 22-year-old suspect who had been arrested in connection with the attack.
Image credits: Alexandros Chatzidimos / Pexels
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who m***dered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
Taking a jab at the U.S. President’s “grieving” of his deceased “friend,” the 57-year-old comedian quipped, “Yes, he’s at the fourth stage of grief, construction. This is not how an adult grieves the m**der of someone he called a friend. There’s something wrong with him…”
Image credits: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon / YouTube
These comments did not sit well with broadcasting group Nexstar, which canceled the show altogether on September 17 “for the foreseeable future.”
“Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the d**th of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse,” the company said in a public statement.
Kimmel made some “offensive and insensitive" remarks about Charlie, leading ABC to drop his show
Image credits: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon / YouTube
A day later, during an episode of The Tonight Show, Fallon directly addressed the suspension, calling it “pressure” from the Trump-administered government.
“Well guys, the big story is that Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by ABC after pressure from the FCC, leaving everyone thinking WTF? What's going on?”
He further highlighted that, due to their shared first name, several people mistakenly thought he was Kimmel and that his own talk show had been “canceled.”
Image credits: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon / YouTube
“This morning I woke up to 100 text messages from my dad saying, 'I'm sorry they canceled your show.' And I go, 'That's not me!' That's Jimmy Kimmel!”
Trump himself celebrated the news of Kimmel’s show suspension on social media.
He wrote on Truth Social, “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED!”
Family and friends mistakenly confused Kimmel’s show cancellation with Fallon, sending their sympathies to the latter host
“Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!"
Addressing the President’s remarks about his own show, Fallon mocked Trump’s recent visit to the U.K., making it clear that he will neither be intimidated nor “censored.”
“A lot of people are worried that we won't keep saying what we want to say, or that we'll be censored. But I'm going to cover the president's trip to the UK just like I normally would. Here we go!"
Image credits: Jimmy Kimmel Live / YouTube
Expressing his hope for his close friend Kimmel’s return to television, Fallon praised him as “a decent, funny, and loving guy.”
“I hope he comes back."
Fallon is not scared of the Trump-administered government’s censorship of his own show
Image credits: Gage Skidmore / Flickr
Shortly after Kimmel’s show was pulled off-air, Fallon abruptly canceled his appearance at the 2025 New York City business convention installment.
The 51-year-old host and comedian’s last-minute cancellation was announced by the event organizers, The Fast Company, on short notice.
They wrote, “Hi all. Unfortunately, Jimmy Fallon is no longer able to attend today’s session of ‘Staying on Brand.’ This exciting session will still proceed with Bomoza St. John at 10:10 am on the main stage with Fast Company’s Jeff Beer.”
Image credits: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images
No reason was given for Fallon’s cancellation, nor did he personally address the change.
Netizens remain divided over Kimmel’s cancellation in light of Fallon’s response. Some criticized the government, while others mocked the comedians.
One user commented, “America!! ‘The land of the Free’ once...”
Image credits: Mario Tama / Getty Images
Another wrote, “Imagine everyone actually accepting each other no matter differences.”
Meanwhile, dissenting netizens took digs at both Jimmys, in light of the political atmosphere and recent firings across the country.
“The hunters are now the hunted,” wrote one user.
Image credits: Late Night with Seth Meyers / YouTube
Another quipped, “Its amazing people think free speech does not have consequences.”
“The Hollywood trolls always stick together, that's just Hollywood.”
Many celebrities and fellow comedians expressed their solidarity with Kimmel following what they called “blatant censorship”
Image credits: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert / YouTube
After the news of Kimmel’s removal, Stephen Colbert spoke on his show, calling it “blatant censorship” of the media and criticizing ABC’s decision.
“I’ll say this for my network. They wouldn’t have done this. Now regardless of what you think, that has already been done and how that looks, this is weak. This is blatant censorship… Jimmy, I stand with you and your staff 100%."
Image credits: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
Talk show host Seth Meyers also addressed the news sarcastically on his show, saying, “The [Trump] administration is pursuing a crackdown on free speech… completely unrelated, I just want to say before we get started here that I’ve always admired and respected Mr Trump…”
“And if you’ve ever seen me say anything negative about him, that’s just AI."
Image credits: Kevin Mazur / Getty Images
Other celebrities who expressed support for the canceled comedian included comedians Alex Edelman and Wanda Sykes; actors Ben Stiller and Sophia Bush; singers Halsey and John Legend; and even Democratic representatives Cory Booker and Jasmine Crockett, among others.
“Pull your head in Fallon because your next buddy,” wrote one social media user
