Former President Barack Obama is weighing in after ABC decided to indefinitely suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live! following the host’s controversial remarks about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
In a statement, Obama accused the Trump administration of weaponizing political pressure against media companies. “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,” he wrote in a follow-up post on X.
The uproar began after Kimmel said on Monday that conservatives were trying to twist the narrative about suspected shooter Tyler Robinson. “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,” Kimmel said on air.
His comments ignited swift backlash. Nexstar Media Group President Andrew Alford blasted Kimmel’s remarks as “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse,” adding that they did not reflect the values of the communities Nexstar serves.
Kimmel’s suspension marks one of the highest-profile media fallout moments since Kirk’s assassination, and Obama’s comments suggest the controversy is likely to remain a flashpoint in the debate over free speech, media responsibility, and political influence.