Image source, Jeff Overs / BBC

The suspension of Kimmel's show is drawing mixed reactions from commentators and broadcasters - with some saying it was right that Kimmel faced consequences for suggesting Charlie Kirk's killer was a Trump supporter.

Dave Portnoy, who founded digital media company Barstool Sports, says: "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."

Late-night host Greg Gutfeld claims Kimmel "deliberately and misleadingly" blamed the killing of Charlie Kirk on the activist's "allies and friends".

And journalist and presenter Piers Morgan says: "Jimmy Kimmel lied about Charlie Kirk’s assassin being MAGA, this caused understandable outrage all over America, prompted TV station owners to say they wouldn’t air him, and he’s now been suspended by his employers.

"Why is he being heralded as some kind of free speech martyr?"

President Donald Trump just spoke about Jimmy Kimmel during his joint press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Answering a question about Kimmel and free speech, Trump says: "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.

"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 know, you can call that free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent."

Jimmy Kimmel was "appearing to directly mislead the American public" with his comments about Charlie Kirk's killer, the head of the US broadcast regulator says.

Brendan Carr - chair of the Federal Communications Commission - says Kimmel's comments were "not a joke", or "making fun".

Pressed on CNBC whether the FCC was trying to censor Trump's critics, Carr said channels with a "broadcast TV licence" had a bigger responsibility than, for example, podcasts.

Carr was also asked about his previous comments that the government shouldn't "censor" speech it didn't like.

He says broadcasters with a licence are free "to go on the internet and do whatever they want". But he says "if they want to keep access to those valuable airwaves, I've been clear, we're reinvigorating the FCC's enforcement of public interest".

He adds that he thinks trust in the media is at an "all time low".

"Gas station sushi probably pulls better in terms of trust than the legacy broadcast media," he says.

Image source, Reuters

The former US president, Barack Obama, has weighed in on Jimmy Kimmel's suspension.

Posting on X, Obama writes: "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."

He adds in a further post: "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."

The joint news conference between Trump and Starmer has started. You can click watch live at the top of this page to follow along.

While we wait for any relevant comments from President Trump about Kimmel, let's take a look at what he posted on Truth Social last night.

He called the suspension of Kimmel's show "great news for America".

"The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done," he wrote, adding that he thinks the comedian has "zero talent".

He implied that NBC late night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers should also be taken off air.

"That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers," he said. "Their ratings are also horrible."

And a reminder that you can follow other political lines from this press conference at our live coverage of Trump's state visit here.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

US President Donald Trump is about to hold a joint news conference alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. You can click watch live at the top of this page.

We will be watching for any comments Trump might say about Jimmy Kimmel.

You can follow other political lines from their press conference at our live coverage of Trump's state visit here.

Kimmel's suspension came just hours after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr threatened to act against ABC and parent company Disney over the host's remarks.

The FCC is a government agency that regulates television and radio communications. Its commissioners and chair are appointed by the US president and serve five year terms.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Carr, a Trump appointee, told the Benny Show, a conservative podcast.

"These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead."

Carr had earlier described Kimmel's monologue as "the sickest conduct possible" and he urged Disney to take action.

"[Broadcasters] have a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest."

He noted that an apology from Kimmel would be a "very reasonable, minimal step".

Anna Gomez, the only Democratic member of the FCC, criticised Carr's remarks.

She posted on X that "an inexcusable act of political violence by one disturbed individual must never be exploited as justification for broader censorship or control".

Kimmel made the comments at the centre of the controversy on Monday evening, during his regular late-night talk show.

The comedian was speaking about the political reaction to the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

"The Maga Gang desperately trying to characterise 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 his monologue.

It was not the only time Kimmel has addressed the shooting - on the day Kirk was killed, Kimmel posted on social media to condemn the attack and send "love" to the 31-year-old activist's family.

Brandon Livesay
Reporting from New York

The abrupt and "indefinite" suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! has sent shockwaves through the US - and has highlighted political divisions.

It started on Monday, when Kimmel made comments on his late-night show about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. In his monologue, Kimmel said: "The Maga Gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it."

Then on Wednesday, the Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, went on a conservative podcast and threatened to act against Disney and ABC, the companies that produce and air Kimmel's show.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead," he said.

One of the country's biggest media companies, Nexstar, then said it was pulling Kimmel's show from its local stations.

A Disney statement then said that "Jimmy Kimmel Live will be pre-empted indefinitely".

President Donald Trump congratulated ABC for the decision on Truth Social, saying "Kimmel has ZERO talent".

Now, leading Democrats have blasted the decisions as an assault on free speech.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries issued a statement alongside other senior leaders in the party, saying Carr "engaged in the corrupt abuse of power. He has disgraced the office he holds by bullying ABC, the employer of Jimmy Kimmel, and forcing the company to bend the knee to the Trump".

Stick with us as we follow the twists and turns of this developing story.