Conan O’Brien is the latest late-night icon to address ABC’s decision to yank “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air.
On Wednesday, a network spokesperson told The Post that “‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ will be pre-empted indefinitely” following the host’s comments about right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk’s murder.
Kirk, founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, was shot and killed at age 31 while addressing an audience at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.
Taking to social media on Friday, O’Brien showed his support for Kimmel, which doubled as a stark warning to others.
“The suspension of @jimmykimmel and the promise to silence other Late Night hosts for criticizing the administration should disturb everyone on the Right, Left, and Center,” the comedian wrote. “It’s wrong and anyone with a conscience knows it’s wrong.”
Conan left late night in 2021 after two different stints on NBC.
He first hosted “Late Night” from 1993 to 2009 and “The Tonight Show” from 2009 to 2010 before jumping ship to TBS for his eponymous “Conan” from 2010 to 2021.
Other late-night stars like Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers and David Letterman have all approached Kimmel’s suspension in similar ways — blaming Trump and his followers.
Kimmel was pulled off the airwaves late Wednesday following backlash over his Monday monologue in which he claimed Kirk’s suspected killer, Tyler Robinson, was part of the “MAGA gang.”
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterize this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel remarked on Monday.
Despite his late-night comments, Kimmel offered his condolences to Kirk’s loved ones after his tragic passing.
“Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?” he wrote at the time. “On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.”
Following his Monday monologue, however, the Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr slammed ABC’s parent company, Disney, and demanded it take action over “some of the sickest conduct possible.”
Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nextar, which own dozens of ABC affiliates, also condemned Kimmel’s remarks about Kirk’s death — with Sinclair demanding the late-night host issue an apology to the late conservative’s family and make a “meaningful personal donation” to Turning Point USA.
Kimmel stood strong, reportedly rejecting apology demands during a phone conversation with Disney exec Dana Walden.
Page Six reported that Kimmel only had months left on his contract with Disney, with sources claiming ABC may have been trying to push him out the door ahead of negotiations later this year.
Another insider now suggests that Kimmel is looking to terminate his contract altogether.
“Jimmy is pissed over the decision to suspend him and the show and he isn’t going to take this lightly, as he is actively looking for ways to get out of his contract,” the source told Daily Mail. “This is the last straw and Jimmy is now looking to break his relationship with ABC forever.”
After pulling the program, Sinclair announced in a statement that their ABC stations “will air a special in remembrance of Charlie Kirk” this Friday during Kimmel’s time slot, adding it will continue to offer the special “across all Sinclair stations this weekend.”
Since the decision, Sinclair and Nexstar have been accused of bowing to the Trump administration in hopes that the FCC approves their desire for billion-dollar mergers that would leave them dominating the TV space.
Trump celebrated ABC’s decision, claiming he was “fired for lack of talent.”
Kimmel, meanwhile, has not addressed the situation.
He was, however, spotted driving himself to his high-powered attorney’s office in Los Angeles on Thursday, just hours after being “indefinitely” suspended.
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” just started its 24th season on Sept. 2.
The program has been nominated for 42 Emmys, winning three, since its 2003 inception, including several nods for Outstanding Variety Talk Series.
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