Politics in 2026 feels like a never-ending fever dream, doesn't it? If you've been anywhere near social media lately, you’ve probably seen clips of a specific Jimmy Kimmel video about Charlie Kirk floating around. It wasn't just another late-night monologue; it was a moment that basically broke the internet and, for a minute there, almost ended Kimmel’s decades-long run on ABC.
Honestly, the whole situation was a mess. It started back in September 2025, but the fallout is still being felt today in early 2026. We’re talking about a tragedy—the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk—that got tangled up in late-night comedy and a massive corporate panic.
If you're looking for the clip where Kimmel "goes after" Kirk, you're actually looking for a series of segments that led to the show being pulled off the air. It wasn't just one joke. It was a perfect storm of bad timing, misinterpretation, and a very tense political climate.
The Monologue That Changed Everything
So, here’s the deal. On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. It was a shocking event. A few days later, on September 15, Jimmy Kimmel went on air and addressed the reaction to the murder. This is the Jimmy Kimmel video about Charlie Kirk everyone keeps referencing.
Kimmel’s main point wasn't mocking the death itself—he actually sent love to the family—but he took a hard swing at how the "MAGA gang" was handling the narrative. He said:
"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."
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He didn't stop there. He also poked fun at Donald Trump’s reaction, comparing the former president’s focus on White House renovations and "beautiful chandeliers" during a time of mourning to a "four-year-old mourning a goldfish."
The backlash was instant.
Conservatives were livid. They argued that Kimmel was essentially labeling the shooter, Tyler Robinson, as a Republican before the facts were in. As it turns out, investigators later found that Robinson had actually "veered to the left" and targeted Kirk because he "had enough of his hatred." This discrepancy made Kimmel’s "one of them" comment look like a massive factual blunder at best, and malicious misinformation at worst.
The Week Late Night Went Dark
What happened next was pretty wild for modern TV. Usually, these controversies blow over in 48 hours. Not this time.
Nexstar, which owns a huge chunk of ABC affiliates, decided they’d had enough. They pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air in their markets, calling his comments "offensive and insensitive." Within hours, ABC followed suit, suspending the show "indefinitely."
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- Monday: Kimmel makes the comments.
- Tuesday: Outrage peaks as the shooter's "leftist" leanings are reported.
- Wednesday: Nexstar and ABC pull the plug on the show.
- The Gap: For six days, the slot was filled with reruns and "other programming."
It was a total blackout. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr even weighed in, calling the remarks "truly sick." For a second, it really looked like Jimmy might be done for good. The show has been on since 2003, and this was arguably its biggest crisis ever.
The Tearful Return and Erika Kirk’s Grace
When Kimmel finally came back on September 23, the vibe was completely different. No snappy suits or smug grins. He was visibly shaken and actually started crying.
He spent a good chunk of that monologue talking about Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow. At the memorial service, Erika had publicly forgiven the shooter. Kimmel called it a "selfless act of grace" and an example of true Christian values.
He also tried to clear the air about the Jimmy Kimmel video about Charlie Kirk that caused the suspension. He claimed his words were "maliciously mischaracterized" by other media outlets. According to him, he wasn't trying to blame a specific group but was commenting on the "finger-pointing" itself.
Whether you believe him or not depends on how you read that original "one of them" line. It was a classic "he said, they said" situation, but the emotional weight of him crying on camera definitely shifted the conversation for a lot of viewers.
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Why This Still Matters in 2026
You might wonder why we're still talking about this months later. Well, the landscape of late-night TV has fundamentally shifted because of it.
First off, the budget for Jimmy Kimmel Live! got slashed. Just recently, in January 2026, reports surfaced that the show is cutting back on musical performances to just two nights a week. Disney is tightening the belt, and many insiders think the Kirk controversy made the show a "riskier" investment.
Also, Stephen Colbert's The Late Show is ending its run this year without a replacement. The era of the "political late-night host" is hitting a massive wall. Advertisers are scared of the "Nexstar treatment," where their ads get pulled because a host says something that half the country hates.
Key Takeaways from the Controversy:
- Fact-Checking is King: Kimmel’s comments about the shooter's identity were premature and fueled the fire.
- Affiliate Power: We learned that local station owners like Nexstar have way more power over national shows than we thought.
- The Forgiveness Factor: Erika Kirk’s response actually ended up being the most impactful part of the whole saga, forcing even her husband's biggest critics to acknowledge her strength.
If you’re looking to watch the Jimmy Kimmel video about Charlie Kirk for yourself, just be aware that the "full" context matters. You can find the original September 15 monologue and the September 23 "apology" return on YouTube, but many of the most controversial clips were edited or removed by ABC during the height of the suspension.
Moving forward, the best thing you can do is look at the original transcripts rather than the 10-second "rage-bait" clips on X (formerly Twitter). The nuance of what was actually said—and what was proven wrong by investigators—is where the real story lies. Keep an eye on the upcoming 2026 Critics Choice Awards clips too; Kimmel recently won Best Talk Show and used his speech to address the "many ridiculous things" still happening in DC, proving he’s not quite ready to play it safe just yet.
To get the most accurate picture of this event, compare the official ABC transcripts with the FBI's released statements on Tyler Robinson. Seeing the timeline of when information was released versus when Kimmel made his comments provides the clearest view of why the backlash was so severe.