Charlie Kirk's 2017 tweet about Jimmy Kimmel resurfaces after ABC suspends his show

Charlie Kirk's 2017 tweet about Jimmy Kimmel resurfaces after ABC suspends his show

Charlie Kirk and Jimmy Kemmel Photograph: (Reuters, AFP)

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ABC suspends Jimmy Kimmel Live! after his remarks on Charlie Kirk's murder spark backlash. Conservatives, including Benny Johnson and Donald Trump, celebrate the move. Trump calls it "great news," claiming Kimmel has "zero talent" and low ratings.

Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night programme has been suspended after his remarks on the murder of right-wing activist and US President Donald trump's ally Charlie Kirk. As the conservatives are celebrating the decision made by ABC, conservative commentator Benny Johnson also shared Kirk's opinion about Jimmy Kimmel. Sharing a 2017 tweet by Kirk in which the Turning Point USA founder had said that Kimmel is not funny, Johnson said that they have fulfilled his hopes of getting Kimmel off-air.

“Jimmy Kimmel isn't funny,” Kirk wrote at the time. Commenting on the post, Johnson wrote, “We did it for you. And we're just getting started.” Several users said that this is “total victory,” and that Kirk is ”still winning from above”. On Sep 17, ABC announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be “pre-empted indefinitely.” Johnson accused Kimmel of “victim blaming” and spreading “lies” in his Monday night monologue and demanded that he should be held accountable. “This is sick,” Johnson wrote on X. Trump celebrated ABC’s move, posting on Truth Social, “Great News for America: The ratings-challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED… Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible.”

Read More | ‘National Charlie Kirk Day’ to be declared in US - Here's what we know

Also read: ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel off air ‘indefinitely' over Charlie Kirk comments

What exactly did Kimmel say?

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During his show, Kimmel mocked Donald Trump’s response to the death of his ally. “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” he told his audience. He went on to play a clip of Trump telling a reporter he was doing “very good” just days after Kirk’s killing, before pivoting to a discussion about building a new White House ballroom. “He’s at the fourth stage of grief: construction. This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish,” Kimmel joked.

Read More | ‘Victim blaming, spreading lies’: What did Jimmy Kimmel say about Charlie Kirk that led ABC to suspend his show?

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Navashree Nandini works as a senior sub-editor and has over five years of experience. She writes about global conflicts ranging from India and its neighbourhood to West Asia to the...Read More