Jimmy Kimmel Live dropped 'indefinitely' by ABC over Charlie Kirk comments

Popular American chat show Jimmy Kimmel Live has been axed from schedules indefinitely, after controversial remarks made by the programme's presenter concerning the death of Charlie Kirk.

Nextstar Media, one of the largest owners of TV stations in the US, shared the news with fans late on Wednesday (September 18), revealing that the media conglomerate would "pre-empt" broadcasts of the programme in response to Kimmel's remarks.

In a statement, a spokesperson said that its "owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will pre-empt "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" for the foreseeable future, beginning with tonight's show."

The company also said it "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."

The backlash comes after Kimmel addressed Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk's death in his opening monologue on Monday evening (September 15), as the presenter suggested that the "MAGA gang" were trying to score political points over the activist's murder.

Kirk was shot dead on September 10 whilst taking part in a debate at Utah Valley University.

His killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested three days later and now faces a potential death penalty after being charged with aggravated murder. He has also been charged with felony discharge of a firearm and witness tampering.

During Monday's broadcast, Kimmel opened the show saying: "We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterise this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them."

He also went on to mock President Trump's response to a question from the press about how he