US President Donald Trump has suggested some TV networks should have their licenses 'taken away', as he backed America's broadcast regulator in a row over the suspension of ABC host Jimmy Kimmel.
The Disney-owned network announced on Wednesday evening it was pulling the comedian off air 'indefinitely' amid a backlash over his remarks about the murder of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk last week.
On Monday, Kimmel suggested the suspect was a Maga Republican, although authorities in Utah had said the alleged gunman was 'indoctrinated with leftist ideology.'
ABC took Jimmy Kimmel Live! off air after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) threatened action over his remarks.
Trump spoke about the issue to reporters on Thursday aboard Air Force One while returning from a state visit to the UK.
I have read someplace that the networks were 97% against me, again, 97% negative, and yet I won and easily, all seven swing states [in last year's election], the president said. They give me only bad publicity, press. I mean, they're getting a licence. I would think maybe their license should be taken away.
In his monologue on Monday, Kimmel, 57, said the 'Maga gang' was 'desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them' and trying to 'score political points from it'.
After the shooting, Kimmel had also gone on Instagram to condemn the attack and send 'love' to the Kirk family.
Kimmel's suspension was announced on Wednesday evening shortly after Nexstar Media, one of the biggest owners of TV stations in the US, said it would not air his show 'for the foreseeable future'. Nexstar called his remarks about Kirk 'offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse.'
Writers, actors, and former US President Barack Obama condemned Kimmel's suspension, pointing out it represents a dangerous level of cancel culture. While others argue that Kimmel's suspension reflects accountability, not a violation of free speech.
The ongoing debates surrounding this issue underscore the tensions between media accountability and freedom of expression in today’s political landscape.
