Jon Stewart will be at the helm of The Daily Show Thursday, September 18, after Jimmy Kimmel was suspended ‘indefinitely’ by ABC following his controversial remarks about Charlie Kirk
Jon Stewart is making a last minute change to The Daily Show after Jimmy Kimmel received word that he has been suspended “indefinitely” by ABC.
Stewart will take the reins on Thursday, September 18, merely 24 hours following the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! due to Kimmel’s contentious comments about political pundit Charlie Kirk’s passing. Many expect he’ll have plenty to address regarding the brewing scandal as he hosts the Comedy Central show next week.
Numerous observers anticipate that Stewart will deliver sharp criticism of the network, especially after his unrestrained, profanity-laden tirade following news of CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert getting axed this summer.‘
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Following that bombshell announcement, Jon declared, “The shows that you now seek to cancel, censor and control…a not-insignificant portion of that $8 billion value came from those f—–g shows. What made you that money are shows that say something, shows that take a stand, shows that are unafraid.”
The 62-year-old comedian added, “If you believe – as corporations or as networks – that you can make yourselves so innocuous that you can serve a gruel so flavorless that you will never again be on the boy king’s radar…Why would anyone watch you? And you are f—–g wrong.”
An ABC spokesperson has now confirmed that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be “preempted indefinitely.” This follows Kimmel’s controversial remarks about Charlie Kirk’s death.
During his show’s opening monologue on Sept. 15, Kimmel stated that President Donald Trump’s supporters were “desperately trying to characterize” the 22-year-old shooter who killed Charlie as “anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
The comment sparked intense criticism from conservatives online. Following the backlash, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr publicly condemned Kimmel’s statements. He hinted that broadcast licenses might be in jeopardy if ABC stations failed to take action.
Under this pressure, Nexstar, which operates 28 ABC affiliate stations, announced it would suspend the late-night program for the “immediate future.”
Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, declared, “Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse, and we do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values of the local communities in which we are located.”
He went on to say, “Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”
