Jimmy Kimmel suspended, Pentagon crackdown: The fallout of Charlie Kirk’s killing on free speech

The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has sparked a nationwide chain reaction targeting media houses, corporate workplaces and even the United States military.

In the days following Kirk’s death, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was suspended, journalists and political analysts lost their jobs, and the Pentagon launched an unprecedented internal disciplinary campaign.

How Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show was “suspended”

Walt Disney-owned ABC announced on Wednesday, that it would indefinitely suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live, its long-running late-night talk show.

The move came after comments Kimmel made during a monologue earlier in the week about the political response to Kirk’s assassination.

The decision was reportedly not made lightly. It followed mounting pressure from regulators, broadcast affiliates, and prominent political figures who argued that Kimmel’s remarks crossed a line.

During his Monday night segment, Kimmel addressed how some political groups were responding to the shooting.

“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, and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said.

Kirk, a 31-year-old conservative activist and a prominent figure in right-wing circles, was shot in the neck during a public appearance at Utah Valley University.

He had built a national profile through his uncompromising rhetoric, combative debate style, and close ties to US President Donald Trump and his political movement.

Authorities quickly apprehended a 22-year-old suspect and charged him with murder. While investigators have confirmed the basic facts of the shooting, they have not yet provided a clear motive for the attack.

Kimmel’s comments were seen by critics as deeply disrespectful and politically charged in the wake of a high-profile assassination. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr took the unusual step of publicly urging local broadcasters to remove Kimmel’s show from their schedules.

Speaking on a conservative podcast hosted by Benny Johnson, Carr warned that the commission was prepared to take further action if necessary. “This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said.

He added that affiliate stations carrying ABC programming should consider whether continuing to air Kimmel’s show served the needs of their local communities.

“Disney needs to see some change here, but the individual licensed stations that are taking their content, it’s time for them to step up and say this, you know, garbage to the extent that that’s what comes down the pipe in the future isn’t something that we think serves the needs of our local communities.”

Carr’s remarks set off a chain reaction across the broadcasting industry.

Nexstar Media Group, which owns 32 ABC affiliates across the country, became the first major company to act.

The network announced it would stop airing Jimmy Kimmel Live, citing the controversial comments and highlighting the importance of community standards.

Nexstar’s decision has been put into the spotlight because the company is currently seeking FCC approval for a $6.2 billion merger with rival broadcaster Tegna.

Carr praised Nexstar’s move, saying the company had done “the right thing.”

Within hours, ABC followed suit. The network, which directly owns a number of local affiliates, said it would remove the show from its own stations and replace it with other programming.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live will be preempted indefinitely,” an ABC spokesperson said in a brief statement.

Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest owner of ABC affiliates nationwide, then announced it would not air Kimmel’s show even if ABC decided to reinstate it. Sinclair demanded that Kimmel issue a public apology before any return to the airwaves would be considered.

The company also revealed plans to broadcast a tribute to Charlie Kirk during Kimmel’s regular time slot as a gesture of respect to the conservative figure.

Kimmel himself did not publicly respond to the controversy. Reporters spotted him leaving the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles, where his show is taped, but he declined to comment.

How Trump reacted to Kimmel’s suspension

Trump, a longtime critic of Kimmel and other late-night hosts, celebrated the show’s suspension on Truth Social.

In his post, Trump not only praised ABC but also called on NBC to take similar action against Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, both of whom have frequently targeted him in their monologues.

“Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” Trump wrote.

Democratic lawmakers and free-speech advocates strongly opposed the decision, framing it as a dangerous precedent for government interference in media. US Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts described it as “censorship in action.”

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, the sole Democrat on the commission, argued that US free speech laws should prevent the government from dictating broadcast content.

“This administration is increasingly using the weight of government power to suppress lawful expression,” Gomez told CNN.

The controversy comes amid a broader pattern of clashes between Trump and major media organisations. Trump has frequently criticised coverage he deems unfair and has pursued a number of legal actions against prominent outlets.

Earlier this year, CBS’s parent company paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit over alleged deceptive editing of an interview with presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

In December, ABC itself paid $15 million to resolve a defamation case stemming from anchor George Stephanopoulos’ description of Trump’s actions related to the E Jean Carroll case.

Just this week, Trump filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and Penguin Random House, alleging systemic bias and unfair treatment.

How Pentagon reacted to Charlie Kirk’s assassination

The US Department of Defence, now officially renamed the Department of War under Trump’s directive, has also launched a sweeping internal crackdown on service members.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who personally knew Kirk, ordered military leaders to take immediate action against any troops posting online content that could be interpreted as mocking or celebrating the assassination.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell issued a strongly worded statement on X, which was reposted by Hegseth.

“We WILL NOT tolerate those who celebrate or mock the assassination of a fellow American at the Department of War. It’s a violation of the oath, it’s conduct unbecoming, it’s a betrayal of the Americans they’ve sworn to protect & dangerously incompatible with military service.”

While the Pentagon has not released official numbers, one US official told Reuters that disciplinary measures likely involved dozens of service members.

The actions taken so far have ranged from formal reprimands to removal from leadership positions. Although no service members have been discharged yet, officials did not rule out the possibility.

A US Air Force spokesperson confirmed that commanders were reviewing social media activity and acting accordingly, “As commanders verify inappropriate actions, they are taking the necessary administrative and disciplinary actions to hold service members accountable.”

Legal experts note that members of the U.S. military have different constitutional protections than civilians. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), service members can be punished for speech that disrupts “good order and discipline.”

One provision, Article 88, explicitly prohibits “contemptuous words” against senior government officials, including the president, Congress, and the defense secretary.

Matthew Lohmeier, an undersecretary of the Air Force, announced plans to prosecute and remove from service a senior master sergeant in Florida who made online comments about both Kirk and Trump.

“Men and women who are guilty of this kind of behavior will not serve in uniform,” Lohmeier stated on X.

Rachel VanLandingham, a former Air Force lawyer now teaching at Southwestern Law School, described a growing climate of fear within the ranks.

She recounted a conversation with an active-duty service member who had painstakingly deleted two decades of personal social media posts to avoid potential scrutiny.

“The Department of Defence, from the very top, is telling individuals they cannot have certain thoughts,” VanLandingham said, warning that this environment would likely lead to broader self-censorship.

One US official acknowledged the chilling effect but urged caution among service members.

“Sharing any kind of hot take when publicly identifiable as part of DoD (is) also dumb,” the official said.

How journalists & analysts have lost jobs over Kirk’s assassination

Karen Attiah, a well-known opinion columnist at The Washington Post, revealed that she was dismissed after posting commentary on gun violence and systemic racial issues in the aftermath of Kirk’s death.

In a detailed Substack post, Attiah defended her actions, stating that she had exercised restraint and never celebrated Kirk’s killing.

She noted that her only direct reference to Kirk had been quoting his past public remarks about Black women, including Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and former Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.

“My only direct reference to Kirk was one post — his own words on record,” Attiah wrote.

Attiah said she was informed that her posts constituted “gross misconduct” and endangered the physical safety of her colleagues, accusations she rejected.

Her firing comes amid a broader ideological shift at The Washington Post. Over the past year, the paper’s opinion section has undergone restructuring after owner Jeff Bezos introduced a new editorial philosophy focused on “personal liberties and free markets.”

This directive led to the departure of opinion editor David Shipley and several senior staff members, replaced by Adam O’Neal, formerly of The Economist and The Wall Street Journal.

MSNBC also took action, firing political analyst Matthew Dowd for remarks he made on air describing Kirk as a divisive figure.

“Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions,” Dowd said, calling Kirk’s rhetoric “hate speech.”

MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler issued an apology for Dowd’s comments, labelling them “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.”

Right-wing online activists have been actively tracking social media for posts perceived as critical of Kirk, often contacting employers directly to demand disciplinary action.

This has led to a wave of firings and suspensions across industries, from media outlets to corporate offices.

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With inputs from agencies

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