MSNBC star who backed cancellation of Tucker Carlson changes his tune after suspension of Jimmy Kimmel: Live updates

Surfaced clips of MSNBC’s Chris Hayes show he praised the decision by Fox News to fire Tucker Carlson, but changed his tune for Jimmy Kimmel.

On Wednesday, Hayes said, ‘ABC made the announcement, Kimmel would indeed be taken off the air indefinitely. And this is just the latest chapter in Donald Trump’s ongoing campaign to crack down on free speech, dominate the media, and essentially render the First Amendment meaningless.’

However, a resurfaced clip from Hayes’ show revealed he had a different opinion when Carlson was fired in April 2023.

‘So it was for the journeyman cable news host Tucker Carlson just fired from his third network, Hayes said.

‘He believed he could say anything, no matter how vile, no matter how disgusting, no matter how offensive, no matter how dehumanizing or belittling.

‘If you act like a sociopath over and over and over and over, you will become unpopular on the national stage. That’s just like a basic principle.

‘Over time, it’s probably not going to work out well for you. Eventually, people will be rightly offended, disgusted by it.’

Wanda Sykes shared her disappointed reaction to Jimmy Kimmel‘s show being pulled off the air right before she was scheduled to go on his program.

Sykes explained she was already en route to the studio for her appearance on Wednesday’s episode on Wednesday’s episode when the network announced they were axing the show.

California Governor Gavin Newsom blasted the Trump Administration after ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s show.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! was the only broadcast network late-night show based in Los Angeles.

‘Buying and controlling media platforms. Firing commentators. Canceling shows. These aren’t coincidences. It’s coordinated. And it’s dangerous. The @GOP does not believe in free speech. They are censoring you in real time,’ Newsom said.

He doubled down in another post, writing, ‘There is no such thing as free speech under Donald Trump’s reign.’

California Rep. Robert Garcia, who is on the House Oversight Committee, told Deadline he’s launching an investigation into what led to ABC’s suspension.

He said the investigation will look into the Trump administration, Sinclair Broadcast Group and ABC ‘amid ongoing efforts to censor opposition to the president of the United States.’

‘Every American has a duty to stand up for our First Amendment values,” Garcia said.

‘We will not be silent as our freedoms are threatened by corrupt schemes and threats.’

Several unions that represent various employees on Jimmy Kimmel Live! have weighed in on the decision to suspend the show.

The Writers Guild of America said, ‘The right to speak our minds and to disagree with each other – to disturb, even – is at the very heart of what it means to be a free people. It is not to be denied. Not by violence, not by the abuse of governmental power, nor by acts of corporate cowardice.

‘As a Guild, we stand united in opposition to anyone who uses their power and influence to silence the voices of writers, or anyone who speaks in dissent. If free speech applied only to ideas we like, we needn’t have bothered to write it into the Constitution. What we have signed on to – painful as it may be at times – is the freeing agreement to disagree.

‘Shame on those in government who forget this founding truth. As for our employers, our words have made you rich. Silencing us impoverishes the whole world.

‘The WGA stands with Jimmy Kimmel and his writers.’

American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada President Tino Gagliardi condemned the move.

‘This is not complicated: Trump’s FCC identified speech it did not like and threatened ABC with extreme reprisals. This is state censorship. It’s now happening in the United States of America, not some far-off country. It’s happening right here and right now,’ he said.

‘This act by the Trump Administration represents a direct attack on free speech and artistic expression. These are fundamental rights that we must protect in a free society. The American Federation of Musicians strongly condemns the decision to take Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air.

‘We stand in solidarity with all those who will be without work because of government overreach.’

‘It is the lifeblood of our industry. Late-night television has long been a space where satire and commentary contribute to our national dialogue. We believe that artistic expression is essential and that critical voices must not be silenced.

‘The Producers Guild of America condemns censorship, and stands with all who exercise their First Amendment rights.’

According to Deadline, Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Dana Walden personally delivered the news just hours before cameras were set to roll at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood.

Sources say the conversation was ‘thoughtful’ and ‘polite,’ but the decision, signed off on by Walden and Disney CEO Bob Iger, left Kimmel stunned.

Former President Barack Obama slammed the Trump Administration for ABC’s decision to take his friend Jimmy Kimmel ‘s show off the air.

‘After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like,’ Obama said on X.

‘This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it.’

Obama and Kimmel have a friendly relationship, with the former president appearing on Kimmel’s late-night show several times.

ABC announced on Wednesday evening that ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ would be removed from the network ‘for the foreseeable future’ after 22 years on-air.

Yet Kimmel was able to dodge being canceled for years, despite being involved in several scandals including black face, using the ‘N’ word and making sexist comments towards Megan Fox.

He had also picked up a reputation for frequently bashing President Donald Trump, who celebrated his show being pulled, and his supporters.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune claimed the decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! was an economic decision by ABC.

‘My preference would always be to let the companies make economic market decisions. And you know, obviously, if they’ve got shows that are losing money and don’t have an audience, I think they’ll come to that conclusion,’ Thune told Politico.

Vice President JD Vance joked that Secretary of State Marco Rubio should become the next host of ABC’s late night show.

‘Everyone please congratulate @marcorubio, the new host of ABC’s late night show!’ Vance said.

Sean Hannity broke the news of Jimmy Kimmel’s on-air removal on his Fox News show Wednesday, claiming the move was a long time coming.

He said Kimmel’s show had ‘become nothing more than nonstop, never-ending, hate Donald Trump.’

Hannity also argued that the move was not a result of political pressure but because Kimmel ‘simply failed at his job.’

Riley Gaines said she has no sympathy for Jimmy Kimmel’s show being suspended because he had no sympathy for Charlie Kirk.

‘Jimmy Kimmel showed zero sympathy for a husband and father of two young kids who was politically assassinated in cold blood,’ she said.

So forgive me if I can’t muster any sympathy when the network that’s carried his show for 20 years decides to pull the plug.’

Matth Walsh said that Kimmel ‘deserved’ his punishment.

‘Jimmy Kimmel lied about Charlie’s assassination and used the opportunity to defame Charlie’s own friends and allies. He deserves to be fired for it,’ he said.

‘These are the repercussions that conservatives have been experiencing for years for infractions not nearly as egregious. Good riddance, Kimmel, you disgusting scumbag.’

Actor Henry Winkler defended Jimmy Kimmel after his show was suspended.

‘@jimmykimmel his humor, his insights are important to keep showing us who we are . AND he is a most wonderful fellow,’ Winkler said.

ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show indefinitely beginning Wednesday after growing criticism over his comments on Charlie Kirk’s killer.

He was not fired, and Jimmy Kimmel Live! has not been officially canceled, but the program ‘will be pre-empted indefinitely,’ an ABC spokesperson said in a statement to USA TODAY.

ABC has aired Kimmel’s late-night show since 2003, and the host’s contract is up in May 2026.

Instead of airing Kimmel’s show during the 11.35pm ET timeslot, the network and its affiliates will play other programs.

On Wednesday, Steve Harvey’s Celebrity Family Feud aired during Kimmel’s usual slot.

Sinclair Inc., whose local stations pay to run ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, said that the Kirk remembrance show will fill Kimmel’s usual showtime on Friday night.

Jimmy Kimmel’s sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez was seen dodging questions as he and other staff fled the studio after ABC ‘indefinitely’ suspended the late night talk show on Wednesday.

Staff of the Jimmy Kimmel Show! were seen packing up their gear from the Los Angeles studio on Wednesday, hours after the host was brutally axed.

Rodriguez – who began appearing on the late night talk show in 2003 – was seen driving out of the studio in Hollywood with people gathered nearby.

However, he evaded questions about Kimmel being pulled off the air by keeping his windows rolled up.

President Donald Trump said Jimmy Kimmel was ‘fired’ from ABC over ‘bad ratings’ and a ‘lack of talent.’

Trump addressed the late-night-host’s suspension Thursday during a press conference on his visit to the UK.

‘Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else. And he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk,’ the president said in responding to a reporter’s question in Aylesbury, England.

‘And Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person. He had very bad ratings, and they should have fired him a long time ago.

‘So, you can call that free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent.’

Megyn Kelly put out a scorching statement over Jimmy Kimmel’s show cancellation.

‘I’m not sure who needs to hear this but Jimmy Kimmel got on the air and falsely stated as a fact that Charlie Kirk’s killer was MAGA, smearing an entire movement and Trump in particular with a vile disgusting lie – and at a time when the threat against those on the right is at an all-time high,’ she said.

‘This was an intentional lie to GIN UP HATRED toward the very group of ppl most suffering in the wake of our devastating loss of Charlie and Kimmel did it willfully and even gleefully to a cheering complicit audience. ANY EMPLOYER IN MEDIA WOULD SEE HOW DEPRAVED AND SICK THIS WAS.’

Kelly addressed those who think ABC caved to pressure from the White House.

‘The Left doesn’t believe ABC was genuinely horrified by Kimmel (& instead attributes this to the FCC threat). That’s bc even they know ABC has no moral core (we agree with you – it doesn’t),’ she said.

‘I have zero doubt ABC was overwhelmed with absolutely furious calls/comments/emails from truly-FED UP viewers, and knew it had crossed a deadly serious line.

‘In short, GOOD RIDDANCE.’

Jimmy Kimmel’s second wife, Molly McNearney, is no ordinary wife.

The 47-year-old Emmy winner served as the head writer on Jimmy Kimmel Live! from 2008-2023, and has made 11 appearances on camera including a regular segment called ‘Win Jimmy’s Crap.

Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann wrote a scathing post about Charlie Kirk and Sinclair Broadcasting regarding the decision to remove Jimmy Kimmel’s show Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the air.

‘Burn in hell, Sinclair. Alongside Charlie Kirk,’ Olbermann said.

His blistering comment came after Sinclair demanded Kimmel donate to Kirk’s family and Turning Point USA.

‘Sinclair also calls upon Mr. Kimmel to issue a direct apology to the Kirk family. Furthermore, we ask Mr. Kimmel to make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA,’ the company said in a press release.

Sinclair, the nation’s largest ABC affiliate group, announced it will air a ‘special in remembrance of Charlie Kirk’ on Friday during Kimmel’s timeslot.

CNN commentator Brian Stelter said FCC boss Brendan Carr sent him a GIF of a scene from The Office when he asked him for comment on the Kimmel suspension.

‘I asked FCC chair @BrendanCarrFCC if he had any new comment now that ABC has pulled Jimmy Kimmel’s show, and he sent me this GIF,’ Stelter said.

The GIF is a clip of Steve Carell’s Michael Scott and Rainn Wilson’s Dwight Schrute raising their hands.

‘This is so serious!’ a breathless Stelter exclaimed as he and other pundits discussed the announcement.

‘America is a less free place if late night comedians cannot do and say what they want,’ he said.

‘Of course they can be tuned out, people can change the channel,’ he continued. ‘That’s how we vote, that’s how we have our say in America.’

‘But this really does have a chilling effect across the American media – and it’s not just me saying it.’

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova reacted to the news of Jimmy Kimmel’s show cancellation on X.

‘This is all from the DICTATOR PLAYBOOK!!!’ she said.

Joining Craig Melvin on NBC’s the Today show on Thursday, Hollywood actor Jason Bateman, 56, was asked for his response to the news of Jimmy Kimmel’s cancellation.

‘Well, it’s troubling to say the least,’ the A-list star said. ‘And we all have to really take a moment and figure how we feel about this type of thing.

‘Especially, people doing what you do.

‘I’m sure there’s going to be some sort of collective move to respond to this, but I’m not smart enough or powerful enough to be the one to do it but I imagine there’s plenty of conversations going on to do something, because you just can’t stand by and let stuff like that go on.’

Danica Patrick has stuck the boot in on Jimmy Kimmel after the late night talk show host was suspended by ABC over his comments about Charlie Kirk’s death.

Former racing driver Patrick, who supported Donald Trump on his election campaign last year, has celebrated Kimmel’s suspension as a victory for ‘human decency’ while pulling up an old tweet from Kirk in which he branded the comedian ‘not funny’.

Former President Barack Obama slammed the Trump Administration after ABC took Jimmy Kimmel’s show off the air.

‘After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like,’ Obama said on X.

On the day of Charlie Kirk’s murder at the University of Utah campus in Orem, Jimmy Kimmel called the shooting ‘horrible and monstrous.’

‘Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?’ Kimmel said on Threads.

‘On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.’

Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at UVU on September 10 in a targeted political attack that shocked the nation.

The celebrity guests set to appear on Wednesday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! were on already their way to the theater when news broke of the show being pulled.

Actress Wanda Sykes, podcaster Jay Shetty, and celebrity chef Christian Petroni were en route to Hollywood’s El Capitan Theater when the decision was announced, CNN reported.

Sykes took to Instagram to tell her followers the news.

‘So I’m in a full face of makeup because I was supposed to go over and have a chat with my friend Jimmy Kimmel on his show,’ she said in a short video.

At the time, Kimmel’s staff were working as usual, holding calls with publicists for talent set to appear on upcoming episodes, CNN reported. Employees inside ABC were left stunned by the decision.

Several industry insiders who spoke with CNN questioned whether the show would ever return due to the current political climate and Kimmel’s well-known disdain for President Donald Trump.

Controversial comedian Roseanne Barr volunteered to replace Jimmy Kimmel after the news broke of his show’s cancellation.

‘I’m available to fill in @ABCNetwork,’ Barr wrote on X.

Dave Portnoy has suggested that suspended Jimmy Kimmel has no one to blame but himself for being taken off the air.

The Barstool Sports chief, who fired his own member of staff earlier this week for sending a message to Kirk’s family, suggested Kimmel was merely facing the consequences of his actions.

‘With Kimmel getting canned I’m seeing lots of people talking about the hypocrisy of cancel culture,’ the outspoken media mogul posted in a rant on X. ‘To me Cancel culture is when people go out of their way to dig up old tweets, videos etc looking for dirt on somebody they don’t like in an effort to get them fired.

‘Like if Kimmel got canceled for s*** he did on the Man Show that would be cancel culture. But when a person says something that a ton of people find offensive, rude, dumb in real time and then that person is punished for it that’s not cancel culture. That is consequences for your actions.’

Sinclair, the nation’s largest ABC affiliate group, praised ABC’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel, but called on the host to do more to make amends for his comments.

‘Sinclair also calls upon Mr. Kimmel to issue a direct apology to the Kirk family. Furthermore, we ask Mr. Kimmel to make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA,’ the company said in a press release.

The broadcaster announced it will air a ‘special in remembrance of Charlie Kirk’ on Friday during Kimmel’s timeslot.

‘Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country,’ said Sinclair Vice Chairman Jason Smith.

‘We believe broadcasters have a responsibility to educate and elevate respectful, constructive dialogue in our communities. We appreciate FCC Chairman Carr’s remarks today, and this incident highlights the critical need for the FCC to take immediate regulatory action to address control held over local broadcasters by the big national networks.’

Insiders told the Daily Mail the late-night host is ‘absolutely f***ing livid’ they canceled Jimmy Kimmel Live! just hours before he was due to go on air.

ABC pulled his show in a shock announcement on Wednesday after he faced criticism for his comments on Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer.

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel could be probed by federal investigators after telling his audience that Charlie Kirk‘s suspected killer was a MAGA supporter.

Amid the shocking suspension of Jimmy Kimmel, Daily Mail is taking a look back at some of the late night host’s most controversial moments.

Federal Communications Commission boss Brendan Carr told conservative podcaster Benny Johnson on Wednesday that he was considering an investigation into Kimmel and his network, ABC, over remarks the host made about suspected shooter Tyler Robinson, 22, in the wake of Kirk’s murder.

‘This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney,’ Carr said. ‘We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.’

Carr floated the idea of suspending the host – one of several prospective ‘remedies’ for the situation, he said.

Hours later, ABC suspended Kimmel’s show.

Both Disney and Nexstar, which operates 23 ABC affiliates, have FCC business ahead of them. Disney is seeking regulatory approval for ESPN’s acquisition of the NFL Network, and Nexstar needs the Trump administration’s go-ahead to complete its $6.2 billion purchase of broadcast rival Tegna.

Wanda Sykes shared a clip to her main Instagram page and revealed that she had been slated to be a guest on tonight’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel.

‘But as you have heard by now, the Jimmy Kimmel Show! has been pulled indefinitely, abruptly because of complaints from the Trump administration.’

She then told her followers that Trump ‘did not end the Ukraine War or solve Gaza within his first week. But he did end freedom of speech within his first year.’

She concluded the post by encouraging for prayer and then sent love to Kimmel.

Former MSNBC host Joy Reid called ABC’s decision to take Jimmy Kimmel’s show off the air ‘extortion.’

‘This is straight up extortion. They are demanding that @jimmykimmel become a funder of Turning Point USA. What in the fresh h*ll is happening???’ she said on Instagram.

Charlie Kirk revealed his true feelings about Jimmy Kimmel in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

‘Jimmy Kimmel isn’t funny,’ Kirk said on October 5, 2017.

Jimmy Kimmel Live! was taken off the air indefinitely on Wednesday after the host made controversial remarks about Kirk’s accused killer.

Donald Trump celebrated the abrupt cancelation of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday night with a blistering Truth Social post that cheered the end of the ABC late-night show.

Trump also called for two of Kimmel’s network rivals, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers to be fired next.

‘Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED,’ Trump wrote.

‘Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!’

Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show could be back on the air within days after the host’s bombshell suspension for comments he made about Charlie Kirk.

No return date has been scheduled, an insider told the Wall Street Journal, but ABC parent company Disney is monitoring the situation and sees it potentially returning ‘in the next several days.’

Disney announced it was pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! ‘indefinitely’ on Wednesday, after Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr suggested in a podcast interview that ABC’s broadcast license was at risk over Kimmel’s remarks.

On Monday’s show, Kimmel stated: ‘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.

‘In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving,’ he added.

Major TV broadcasters, including Nexstar and Sinclair, said afterwards that they would not air Kimmel’s show in response.President Donald Trump called Disney’s decision ‘Great News for America.’

Jean Smart shared a photo from her appearance on Kimmel’s show with the caption, ‘I am horrified at the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel Live.’

The actress added, ‘What Jimmy said was FREE speech, not hate speech. People seem to only want to protect free speech when it suits THEIR agenda. Though I didn’t agree at ALL with Charlie Kirk; his shooting death sickened me; and should have sickened any decent human being. What is happening to our country?’

Actress Sophia Bush slammed ABC’s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air on X.

‘The First Amendment doesn’t exist in America anymore. Period. Fascism is here and it’s chilling,’ she said.

Jimmy Kimmel’s nail in the coffin comment about Charlie Kirk’s suspected killer came during his Monday night monologue.

‘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,’ the host said.

Stars have pushed back against the decision to take Kimmel off air, with Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Stiller, Henry Winkler and Alison Brie joining the ranks in opposition.