Conan O’Brien Issues Warning After Jimmy Kimmel’s ABC Suspension

On Wednesday, an ABC spokesperson confirmed to The Post that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would be “pre-empted indefinitely” following the host’s controversial comments about the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

Kirk — the founder of conservative group Turning Point USA — was shot and killed at age 31 while speaking at Utah Valley University on September 10.

Conan O’Brien, a longtime friend and late-night colleague of Kimmel, took to social media on Friday to both support Kimmel and issue a stark warning.

“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,” O’Brien wrote. “It’s wrong, and anyone with a conscience knows it’s wrong.”

O’Brien left late-night television in 2021 after two major stints at NBC. He first hosted “Late Night” from 1993 to 2009, took over “The Tonight Show” from 2009 to 2010, and later moved to TBS for “Conan,” which aired from 2010 until 2021.

Other late-night stars — including Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers, and David Letterman — have similarly condemned Kimmel’s suspension, pointing the finger at former President Trump and his supporters.

Kimmel was pulled off the air late Wednesday after backlash erupted over his Monday monologue, in which he claimed suspected shooter Tyler Robinson was part of the “MAGA gang.”

“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to paint 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 said during Monday’s broadcast.

Despite the fiery monologue, Kimmel also offered condolences to Kirk’s family:
“Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just agree for one day that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human? 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.”

But his words of sympathy did little to quell the firestorm. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr publicly pressured Disney — ABC’s parent company — demanding action against what he called “some of the sickest conduct possible.”

Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar, which own dozens of ABC affiliates, also condemned Kimmel’s comments, with Sinclair demanding that Kimmel apologize to Kirk’s family and make a “meaningful personal donation” to Turning Point USA.

Sources say Kimmel refused to issue an apology during a phone call with Disney executive Dana Walden.

Page Six reported that Kimmel’s Disney contract only had a few months left, and ABC may have been using the controversy as an opportunity to push him out before contract negotiations later this year.

Another insider claims Kimmel is now actively seeking to end his contract altogether.
“Jimmy is furious about the decision to suspend him and the show. This is the last straw — he’s now looking for ways to break his relationship with ABC for good,” the source told Daily Mail.

Following the suspension, Sinclair announced that their ABC stations would air “a special in remembrance of Charlie Kirk” in Kimmel’s time slot on Friday night, with reruns airing across all Sinclair stations throughout the weekend.

Critics have accused Sinclair and Nexstar of bowing to the Trump administration in hopes of securing FCC approval for billion-dollar mergers that would give them even greater dominance over U.S. television.

Trump celebrated ABC’s move, mocking Kimmel by saying he was “fired for lack of talent.”

Kimmel, meanwhile, has remained silent publicly. He was spotted driving himself to his high-powered attorney’s office in Los Angeles on Thursday — just hours after the suspension was announced.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” had just kicked off its 24th season on September 2. Since its 2003 debut, the show has been nominated for 42 Emmys, winning three, including multiple nods for Outstanding Variety Talk Series.