Jimmy Kimmel’s apology over Charlie Kirk remarks: 5 reactions

Jimmy Kimmel’s tearful attempt to address his false claims about the 22-year-old man who assassinated Charlie Kirk by claiming the killer was part of the “MAGA gang” and not a leftist has drawn mixed reactions. 

Christians and media influencers have been sharing their thoughts, with some asserting that the comedian still needs to apologize to Kirk’s family.

During his Tuesday night monologue, Kimmel choked up while discussing the fatal shooting of the 31-year-old Turning Point USA and TPUSA Faith founder, insisting that it was “never [his] intention to make light of the murder of a young man.” 

While Disney allowed the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” host to return to his regular timeslot on ABC, the broadcasting companies Nexstar and Sinclair are airing alternative programming instead of the comedian’s floundering show. According to a statement from Sinclair, discussions between them and ABC are “ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.”

The suspension of the late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” came after the comedian claimed during his monologue last Monday that the “MAGA gang” is “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”

Kimmel doubled down on his remarks during his monologue the next night, when he accused people in “MAGAland” of “working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.”

As Disney executives held discussions last week with Kimmel about “taking down the temperature,” according to CNN, the late-night show host had plans to ratchet things up by delivering a “very hot” monologue that would have mocked President Donald Trump and his base, a source familiar with the matter told the cable channel. 

Advertisers and affiliates also became concerned after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr suggested the agency could pull the broadcast licenses of ABC-owned stations, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Here are reactions from Christians and media influencers to Jimmy Kimmel’s apology.