Turning Point USA urges ABC affiliates not to carry Jimmy Kimmel Live as return looms

Turning Point USA urged ABC-TV affiliates not to carry Jimmy Kimmel Live when it returns to air Tuesday, arguing that Disney and ABC caved to pressure by allowing the embattled late-night host back on the schedule. Andrew Kolvet, the spokesman and executive producer for what had been Kirk’s popular podcast before his assassination Sept. 10, condemned the decision. ABC announced on Monday that Kimmel would return the show nearly a week after it was pulled from the air.

Kolvet, who also serves as executive producer for The Charlie Kirk Show, called the decision a concession to controversy. In a post on X, he criticized Disney and ABC for 'caving,' and noted that affiliate groups such as Nexstar and Sinclair do not have to make the same choice.

Reuters reported that Kimmel's hiatus followed on-air remarks about MAGA supporters and Kirk's murder that prompted the network to yank the program. The pause occurred as FCC Chair Brendan Carr floated possible federal action against ABC, and Nexstar and Sinclair vowed not to carry the program on their stations.

Turning Point USA, co-founded by Kirk and his widow, Erika Kirk, now CEO, has remained a vocal critic of the platform that hosts Kimmel.

ABC's decision to bring Kimmel back Tuesday comes as the broader debate over late-night talk shows and political content continues to blur lines between entertainment and politics.

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