Jimmy Kimmel became the latest casualty in President Donald Trump’s war on the media on Wednesday when news broke that ABC would be putting the comedian’s late night show on hold indefinitely. And if you’re trying to figure out what Kimmel said that was so offensive, you’re not alone.
I watched every monologue that Kimmel has delivered on his ABC show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, since Charlie Kirk was murdered in Utah on Sept. 10. I was expecting there to be something shocking that would at least warrant legitimate controversy. But there was nothing. In fact, it was difficult for me to identify the specific moment Kimmel supposedly crossed the line.
As it turns out, the portion of Kimmel’s broadcast that Trump supporters are using as the pretext for his cancellation is only about one minute long. It aired Monday, Sept. 15, and you can watch it for yourself below.
1. Just so we’re clear, this is the clip that got Jimmy Kimmel’s show shelved by ABC. If I’m missing any other clips please let me know. [image or embed] — Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yasharali.bsky.social) September 17, 2025 at 7:08 PM
A transcript of the offending clip:
Kimmel: 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. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving. On Friday the White House flew the flags at half staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this. [Video clip of Trump and a reporter outside the White House] Reporter: My condolences on the loss of your friend, Charlie Kirk. May I ask, sir, personally, how are you holding up over the last day and a half, sir? Trump: I think very good. And by the way, right there, you see all the trucks? They’ve just started construction of the new ballroom for the White House, which is something they’ve been trying to get, as you know, for about 150 years, and it’s gonna be a beauty. Kimmel: Yes, he’s at the fourth stage of grief, construction. There’s demolition… construction… This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a four year old mourns a goldfish, okay?
Online, the MAGA crowd claims Kimmel called the person who allegedly killed Kirk, Tyler Robinson, a Trump supporter. But if you listen to what Kimmel actually said, he wasn’t even necessarily calling the guy MAGA. Right-wing pundits and online commentators were indeed trying to defend against charges that the guy was a Trump supporter over the weekend. And by most indications from the indictment, he wasn’t.
You need to read Kimmel’s comments in the most critical way possible to concoct a justification for his cancellation. But even if he had explicitly said “this guy is MAGA,” and got it wrong, that’s still clearly not the reason Kimmel was targeted by Trump.
Trump knows exactly what he’s doing
Kimmel’s ouster wasn’t a surprise if you read the unhinged screeds of President Trump on Truth Social. After news broke in July that CBS was cancelling Stephen Colbert’s show after his contract runs out in the spring, Trump celebrated and said Kimmel would be next.
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