Late Night

Late-night TV show fans nationwide were left shocked on September 17 when it was revealed "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" had been indefinitely pulled off the air by ABC.

And it turns out the comedian's suspension was prompted by comments he'd made about Charlie Kirk's murder and MAGA, which Nexstar Media Group -- the company that owns 32 ABC affiliate stations across America -- "strongly" objected to.

We're going to take a look at what kind of reactions -- both positive and negative -- have been shared in the wake of the late-night show host's removal from the air.

Kimmel claimed MAGA-affiliated figures in media and politics were trying to characterize Kirk's alleged murderer "as anything other than one of them" in his opening monologue, according to USA Today.

He then stated the same individuals were doing everything they could in the wake of Kirk's death to "score political points" and quipped the president's reaction to the commentator's murder was similar to "how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish."

The late-night host said there was "something wrong" with President Donald Trump ... referring to a clip of Trump talking about the progress on the White House's new ballroom when he was asked about how he was doing days after Kirk was shot.

Kimmel wondered whether Trump was focusing on the renovation "so he can be bad about that instead of the Epstein list."

Numerous Hollywood entities and figures spoke out about Kimmel being pulled off the air, including Ben Stiller, Jean Smart, and Wanda Sykes -- who claimed Trump was able to "end freedom of speech within his first year" as opposed to ending the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, according to NBC News.

Various unions representing individuals working in the entertainment industry -- including The Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists -- issued statements of their own to condemn the late-night host's removal.

A group of Democratic congresspeople issued a statement calling for the resignation of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and claimed he had "disgraced the office he holds" ... on a podcast Wednesday, hours before Kimmel was yanked, Carr seemed to issue a veiled threat to Disney -- ABC's parent company -- about Kimmel's remarks, talking about "the easy way or the hard way."

Former President Barack Obama shared a post on his X account to pronounce the Trump administration had taken cancel culture "to a new and dangerous level" after years of complaining about its effects.

Some of the reactions to Kimmel's removal were positive and celebrated the shift in late-night programming.

Vice President J.D. Vance shared a post on X to jokingly congratulate Secretary of State Marco Rubio on becoming "the new host of ABC’s late night show."

Conservative commentator Benny Johnson -- whose podcast Carr had been -- said Kimmel's removal was part of what he described as "consequence culture" and added he felt "the line was crossed" when he spoke about Kirk's murder.

James Woods has little sympathy for Jimmy Kimmel in the wake of his indefinite suspension from late-night TV ... sending the comedian an expletive-topped message amid the news.

While the rest of Hollywood has rallied around Kimmel following his abrupt departure from television, the veteran actor made it clear he was not upset by ABC's decision ... telling Kimmel to "eat s***" in a note shared on X.

Check it out ... Woods starts off his message feigning empathy, praising Kimmel as a fellow artist and claiming he's "heartbroken" by the way JK's been treated.

11:06 AM PT -- Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... the decision was made last night for Jimmy to bow out of the event.

Jimmy Fallon pulled the plug on his appearance at Fast Company’s Innovation Festival in New York City on Thursday following the news that ABC suspended "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Wednesday night.

He was scheduled to join the “Staying On Brand” panel, but is "no longer able to attend," according to a memo sent to Adweek. The panel reportedly went forward with marketing executive Bozoma Saint John and Fast Company Senior Staff Editor Jeff Beer as scheduled.

TMZ has reached out to Fast Company and Fallon's team for comment ... so far, no word back.

Barack Obama is coming out swinging in defense of the First Amendment in the wake of Jimmy Kimmel's TV show suspension ... accusing the Trump administration of trying to silence its critics.

After it was revealed Wednesday night Kimmel's show was suddenly and "indefinitely" suspended by ABC following the host's remarks about the late Charlie Kirk and MAGA, the former President took to X to call out the current administration.

Check it out ... he essentially calls Donald Trump a hypocrite, highlighting how 47 has complained about "cancel culture" for years ... only to jump on the cancel bandwagon when JK said something unfavorable about one of his own.

Jimmy Kimmel is getting out of dodge after he was suspended by ABC — and we captured him bolting to his vehicle!

TMZ shot video of the embattled late-night host rushing into his Chevy Silverado inside a garage Wednesday night in Los Angeles.

Check out the footage ... Jimmy, dressed down in a flannel shirt, jeans, sneakers and a baseball cap, dashes into the backseat of the SUV with the help of his handler.

Hours earlier, ABC announced Jimmy was suspended for comments he made on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" about the murder of Charlie Kirk.

During Monday's show, Jimmy said ... "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."

Nexstar Media Group — which owns a bunch of ABC affiliates — piled on, saying ... "Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets."

We're told Jimmy was in his TV studio when the bad news broke and he eventually left, ducking into the garage to make his getaway. Guillermo, Jimmy's sidekick, was also there and seen chatting with staffers after ABC's announcement.

5:18 PM PT -- President Trump just reacted to Kimmel being taken off the air ... congratulating ABC "for finally having the courage to do what had to be done."

Trump posted on Truth Social, "Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED."

The Prez added ... "Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that's possible."

Jimmy Kimmel is in timeout with ABC ... the network is suspending him ... and it's all over what he said about the alleged Charlie Kirk killer.

Before ABC announced the move, Nexstar Media Group issued a statement ... "Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets." Nexstar is a media company that owns 32 ABC affiliate stations across the country ... ABC has more than 200 affiliate stations in total in the U.S.

Stephen Colbert is open to work, but has some key conditions for his next gig ... saying as much after his big Emmys win.

We caught the late-night host outside the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles Sunday evening, where we asked if his onstage call for work prompted any job offers in the room. While Colbert cheekily avoided confirming or denying his post-'Late Show' plans, he did inquire if TMZ was in the process of hiring ... and our photog made it clear we'd be happy to have him.

Catch the vid ... Colbert doesn't outright turn down the job, instead mulling over the idea before asking if we're in the union -- he's an active member of the Writers Guild of America.

Stephen Colbert opened "The Late Show" Wednesday with a somber note, paying respect to Charlie Kirk following his death and sending his condolences to his family and loved ones.

He also shared a sobering message with viewers, noting Wednesday's senseless shooting is reminiscent to the political violence he viewed in the 1960s.

He said ... "I hope it is obvious to everyone in America that political violence does not solve any of our political differences. Political violence only leads to more political violence, and I pray with all my heart that this is the abhorrent action of a madman and not a sign of things to come."

Selena Gomez can hardly contain her joy about marrying Benny Blanco ... grinning ear-to-ear while talking about their upcoming wedding on "The Tonight Show."

On Tuesday, she appeared alongside her "Only Murders in the Building" costars Steve Martin and Martin Short, when host Jimmy Fallon brought up that her wedding is right around the corner.

The audience erupts ... and Selena flashes a big smile, chuckling as the crowd screams with excitement.

R&B star Givēon is going to give it to you straight -- but also make it sound good. His love anthems are extremely personal tales written by him -- and they just happen to be TOXIC.

TMZ caught up with Givēon outside "Jimmy Kimmel Live" this week, where he performed his new song, "I Can Tell" -- a sweet-talking burner where he tells the girl about her own heart.

Giveon admits his music can be toxic from time to time -- but says you gotta respect it comes from an honest place.

Taylor Swift has drawn plenty of criticism and insults from Donald Trump in the past -- and now Jimmy Fallon’s spinning her material to roast the Commander-in-Chief ahead of his Friday summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It was pure comedy gold -- Jimmy went full Swiftie on Wednesday's 'The Tonight Show,' belting lines like, "For a long time Trump looked at Putin and thought, 'You Belong With Me,' and when the people warned him to steer clear, he would just 'Shake It Off.'"

The hits kept coming -- like how Americans worry Trump isn’t serious about negotiating for peace in Ukraine … "because his brain is basically one giant 'Blank Space.'"

Zoë Kravitz has a story that'll rattle you -- she and her mom Lisa Bonet accidentally let a snake loose in Taylor Swift’s house ... and the chaos was off the scales!

Zoë spilled on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” Tuesday, saying Taylor graciously let her stay at her Beverly Hills pad during this year’s wildfires in L.A. ... but when Lisa set her pet snake Orpheus down in the bathroom to wash her face, he made a break for it -- straight into a hole in the corner.

The room had a banquette built into the wall with a tiny hole -- and that’s where Orpheus got stuck. Zoë and Lisa clung to his tail for dear life, but the more they tugged, the deeper he slithered into the wall.

Is Jimmy Kimmel about to pull a Rosie O'Donnell and leave the U.S. because of Donald Trump? Well, if you were listening to Sarah Silverman's recent podcast, you just might think so.

Here's the deal ... Jimmy sat down with Sarah — his former girlfriend — as a guest on Silverman's podcast last week and the two bantered about a bunch of stuff, including Jimmy's nemesis, The Donald. For the record, Sarah's no fan of the commander-in-chief either.

At one point, Jimmy made a surprising statement, revealing that he's secured Italian citizenship ... followed by Kimmel calling Trump's second administration "as bad as you thought it was gonna be."

Stephen Colbert is going scorched earth on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ... after the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary announced he's slashing $500 million in vaccine research funding this week.

The 'Late Show' host didn't hold back Wednesday night ... joking he was about to deliver a "measured, nonpartisan response" -- then unloading on RFK Jr. with "F*** you, you 'roid-addled nepo-carnie."

Colbert flips the bird to the camera ... and the audience roars with applause.

The Skydance-Paramount merger is officially a done deal -- and it’s all going down as "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" rolls through its final season.

Skydance Media, led by CEO David Ellison, closed its massive $8 billion acquisition of Paramount Global ... cementing one of the biggest shake-ups Hollywood’s seen in years.

The completed merger, announced Thursday, had been months in the making, getting the final thumbs-up from Paramount’s board and surviving a lengthy FCC review -- and now, it's full steam ahead. The company began public trading on NASDAQ Thursday morning.

President Trump is still going after Stephen Colbert ... and he says he could find two people on the street who could get higher TV ratings.

Trump went in on Colbert yet again Wednesday while taking questions in the Oval Office at the White House ... and then he lashed out at Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel.

POTUS says all three late night talk show hosts have no talent ... and in Colbert's case, he could pick any random person who could do just as well or better on TV.