Washington Examiner Chief Political Correspondent Byron York called ABC’s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live!  “a market response” and criticized Jimmy Kimmel for what he described as a “reckless” and “libelous” joke related to the assassination.

“In this case, the market is speaking,” York said. “Making a joke — any joke — about this assassination at this time is incredibly reckless, and making one based on a libelous falsehood is even worse,” York said on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle Wednesday. 

Recommended Stories

• Kimmel cancellation continues trend of Trump victories against legacy media
• ABC reporter apologizes after being blasted for calling alleged Kirk assassin texts 'touching'
• ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel indefinitely following Charlie Kirk comments

ABC has pulled late-night host Kimmel off the air “indefinitely” following backlash over comments he made days after the tragic killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.

The move marks a significant shift in the late-night television landscape and has drawn attention not only to the network’s decision but also to what critics say is a long-overdue reckoning with the tone of political comedy.

KIMMEL CANCELLATION ISN’T ‘CANCEL CULTURE.’ IT’S CONSEQUENCE CULTURE

“There have been two assassination attempts on Trump and now the killing of Charlie Kirk,” York said. “This is a serious moment, a serious presidency, and these comedians are failing to grapple with that.” 

Kimmel’s comments, which suggested that those on the right were “desperately” trying to distance themselves from the political motivations of Kirk’s alleged killer, ignited a firestorm. 

“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 on his broadcast Monday. 

KIMMEL CANCELLATION CONTINUES TREND OF TRUMP VICTORIES AGAINST LEGACY MEDIA

Sinclair is one of the nation’s largest broadcast companies and owns several ABC-affiliate stations, which gives it the influence to pressure ABC to take action, resulting in the pulling of the late-night show. Sinclair is also known for being a conservative-leaning television station operator. 

While Sinclair and Nexstar own several ABC affiliates, ABC itself is owned by the Walt Disney Company. 

While Sinclair has pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely, they have since called on the network to do more and are calling on Kimmel to apologize to Kirk’s family. They also plan to air a Charlie Kirk reference special on Friday during Kimmel’s live time slot. 

As of Thursday morning, neither ABC nor Kimmel has issued an official statement addressing the controversy.