On Thursday, the day after ABC pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, more than 100 protesters were packed with sidewalks outside the El Capitan Entertainment Center on Hollywood Boulevard. From the Internet, the host’s comments about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Protesters held up signs that read “Don’t bend your knees to Trump” and “douse rat.” Visitors strolling on Hollywood Avenue stopped at the party, blocking two eastbound lanes in the busy tourist area.
Hollywood’s Andrea Silva said politicians are using Kirk’s murder as a political conversation point.
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“I think all the politicians are taking over Charlie Kirk, just trying to make it more like a political thing than a human tragedy,” Silva said. “But I really believe we’re just violating another instance of freedom of speech.”
The protesters’ sign was held on Thursday, September 18, 2025 in Hollywood, California. Jimmy Kimmel’s performance was suspended indefinitely after Monday night’s monologue.
(Yamada/Los Angeles Times)
In Monday’s monologue, Kimmel vs. Taylor RobinsonUtah man accused of fatal shooting of Kirk. He said, “The Margo Gang” “tried to describe the murder of Charlie Kirk, except for one of them, and did everything possible to get political points from it.”
Kimmel also mocked President Trump for providing the latest news about the construction of a new White House ballroom after being asked about how to handle the murders of his close allies.
Law enforcement officers revealed on Tuesday that Robinson had a liberal political tendency and told his partner in a text message that he had “fed enough.” [Kirk’s] Hate” and “certain hatred cannot be negotiated. ”
Nexstar Media Group responded Wednesday, saying it will withdraw the show from its ABC membership station due to Kimmel’s comments. ABC, owned by Walt Disney Co., then announced that it would pull “Jimmy Kimmel’s life!” indefinitely. ”’
A spokesman for political groups against the Trump administration rejecting fascism said the group arranged a protest, “Jimmy Kimmel is alive!” filmed immediately after the comedian was suspended from school.
On September 18, 2025, ABC evacuated late-night hosts from the air indefinitely, and people protested against the Jimmy Kimmel Theatre in front of the Jimmy Kimmel Theatre.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
“If Jimmy Kimmel can’t tell the truth about power, then who can?” the group said in a statement.
Protesters outside the venue said it seemed that the ABC seemed to lean towards the Trump administration’s demands and hindered Kimmel’s First Amendment rights for political purposes.
It is unclear what role the government plays in the show’s pause. But Nexstar’s decision to rob the show was made after the Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr Blow up Kimmel in a conservative podcast and threatened to take action against ABC.
“The current government can’t laugh at itself, they don’t want others to laugh,” said Ken Tullo, a Hollywood resident. “I’m not a protester, but enough…I want my daughter to grow up where she’s not afraid to speak freely.”
Carr suggested in the podcast “The Benny Show” that some broadcasters deceived the public and made a “unanimous effort” about Kirk’s motive for being killed. Carr said broadcasters licensed by the FCC have an “obligation to operate for the public good.”
When reporters questioned the potential threat of freedom of speech during their visit to the UK, President Trump attributed Kimmel’s suspension to “bad ratings.”
“He said something horrible to a great gentleman named Charlie Kirk,” Trump told reporters at a press conference on Thursday. “Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person – he has a very bad rating – they should have fired him a long time ago, so you can call that free speech.”
Protesters gathered outside Jimmy Kimmel in Hollywood, California on Thursday, September 18, 2025. Jimmy Kimmel’s performance was suspended indefinitely after Monday night’s monologue.
(Yamada/Los Angeles Times)
Carl said the decision was the result of the ever-changing media landscape, eager to gain a more conservative perspective.
“We are in a huge shift in dynamics in the media ecosystem for many reasons, including the licensing structure offered by Trump’s election,” Carl said in an interview with CNBC. “We have not seen the consequences of this shift.”
Kansas City’s Dianne Hall and Michael Talbur said they were unaware of Kimmel’s suspension until the night before the protest. They bought tickets for live show viewing and ended up going to Los Angeles without any result.
“I’m looking forward to it [the monologue] right [Kirk] Hall said. I kept thinking, ‘It must be something bad to say that he was fired…but that’s not that. ”
Jessica Brown, 41, protested in front of Jimmy Kimmel Theatre the day after ABC pulled its late night host out of the air indefinitely, commenting on the September 18, 2025 filming of the right-wing influential Charlie Kirk in Hollywood.
(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
Other protesters say that while Kimmel’s monologue is “malice”, the Trump administration’s wider scrutiny of public life may have arisen due to the moratorium.
“There are a lot of people who are hurt by what happened, to say something about it, or to blame someone, and you don’t actually have evidence, we don’t need it,” said Selassie Blackwell. “I don’t think the extreme of his performance should be cancelled…it’s still free speech.”
During the protests, some argued that Kimmel’s monologue had nothing to do with Kirk or his character, but was a reaction to the right to the ongoing investigation.
“I’m a fool because that’s not to say what he said to Charlie Kirk.” “ABC’s revenge on Trump was so scared that they turned him out.”
