Suspending a late-night talk show host is rare. Daytime host of The View, Whoopi Goldberg, was taken off the air for two weeks in 2022 for her comments about the Holocaust. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was suspended in 2025 for controversial comments about Charlie Kirk’s death.
A new report revealed that the FCC faced a ton of complaints from viewers at the time, but not about the host. Keep reading for all the details.
FCC Faced Backlash After Jimmy Kimmel Suspension
Jimmy Kimmel has hosted a late-night talk show since 2003 after building a career on Comedy Central. Jimmy Kimmel Live! was yanked from the airwaves in September 2025 with no warning. During a monologue, the host referenced the killing of Charlie Kirk. The podcaster was murdered earlier that month while giving a speech at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Tyler Robinson was quickly arrested as the suspect. He’s currently awaiting trial on aggravated murder charges. The murder quickly turned political, as neither Republicans or Democrats wanted any connection with the alleged killer. Charlie Kirk was a staunch Republican activist.
Several days after the murder, Jimmy Kimmel addressed Charlie Kirk’s death. He was suspended after public pressure. According to an earlier report, several television station owners demanded ABC suspend Jimmy Kimmel.
The suspension didn’t last long. After filing a Freedom of Information Act, TMZ was able to look at the FCC activity at the time of the suspension. According to the outlet, the FCC received dozens of complaints… but not about Jimmy Kimmel. Many of the complaints were blasting FCC chairman Brendan Carr for Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension.
TMZ shared one complaint that said, “Why Is Your Boss Such A Thin-Skinned Loser Who Hates Free Speech?” Brendan Carr’s boss is President Trump.
What Exactly He Said To Get Suspended
Primetime and daytime talk shows have been in the crosshairs of the FCC since Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension. Chairman Brenda Carr recently stated plans to start enforcing the “equal time” rule that requires political candidates equal airtime. The agency launched an investigation into The View for breaking the rule.
Stephen Colbert’s CBS talk show has also faced pushback from the FCC for bending the rules. However, only Jimmy Kimmel has been suspended, so far, for his controversial comments. So, what did he say that was so bad? He seemed to imply that Charlie Kirk’s killer was a Republican, which engaged half the country.
“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,” Jimmy Kimmel’s Charlie Kirk comment that led to suspension.
Jimmy Kimmel returned to the airwaves to bombshell ratings. Tell us in the comments if you think the FCC overstepped by suspending him.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
