Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday described ABC’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel after the comedian and late-night host’s remarks about Charlie Kirk’s death as “intimidation” from the Trump administration, calling the act an “attack on free speech.”
“This is what were seeing across the board from the Trump Administration,” Pritzker said during a Wednesday night interview on MSNBC’s ‘The Briefing with Jen Pskai.’
“They’re using the power of the government to go after businesses to get them to do things that they need or want, either to pay them, as we’ve seen, or fire them, as we’ve seen,” Pritzker said. Pritzker also made note of CBS’ decision to cancel Stephen Colbert’s “The Late Show,” with some questioning the network’s explanation.
“Here we have a comedian. This is someone who’s on every night — probably making fun of someone every night,” Pritzker said of Kimmel, acknowledging that he himself has been the butt of the host’s jokes at times.
“Did he get some things wrong? Yeah. He’s not a commentator, he’s not a news anchor,” Pritzker said, in the appearance. “This is someone who is a comedian. Anybody that’s criticizing this administration, they’re using the power of government to intimidate companies to fire people.”
ABC made the decision to pre-empt “Jimmy Kimmel Live” indefinitely after criticism from FCC chair Brendan Carr and Nexstar. In his shows earlier this week, Kimmel had suggested that the 22-year-old suspect in the Charlie Kirk shooting may have held pro-MAGA Republican beliefs.
In a post on social media, Pritzker said the “attack on free speech cannot be allowed to stand.”
“A free and democratic society cannot silence comedians because the President doesn’t like what they say,” his post said.
A free and democratic society cannot silence comedians because the President doesn’t like what they say.
This is an attack on free speech and cannot be allowed to stand.
All elected officials need to speak up and push back on this undemocratic act.
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) September 17, 2025
Pritzker also called to attention a social media post sent by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr from Dec. 30, 2023, where Carr defends free speech.
“Free speech is the counterweight,” the post from Carr said. “It is the check on government control. That is why censorship is the authoritarian’s dream.”
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) September 18, 2025
Why was Jimmy Kimmel suspended, and what did he say?
The veteran, late-night comic made several remarks about the reaction to the conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination last week on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Monday and Tuesday nights, including that “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.”
ABC, which has aired Kimmel’s late-night show since 2003, moved swiftly after Nexstar Communications Group said it would pull the show starting Wednesday. Disney described the show as being “pre-empted indefinitely.”
Kimmel’s comments about Kirk’s death “are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse,” said Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division. Nexstar operates 23 ABC affiliates.
There was no immediate comment from Kimmel, whose contract is up in May 2026.
President Donald Trump celebrated ABC’s move on the social media site Truth Social, writing: “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done.”
Earlier in the day, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr called Kimmel’s comments “truly sick” and said his agency has a strong case for holding Kimmel, ABC and network parent Walt Disney Co. accountable for spreading misinformation. He said the comic appeared to be making an intentional effort to mislead the public that Kirk’s assassin was a right-wing Trump supporter.
During his Monday evening monologue, Kimmel suggested Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, might have been a pro-Trump Republican. “The MAGA Gang (is) 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,” Kimmel said. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney,” Carr said on the Benny Johnson podcast. “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.”
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
