Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! was taken off the air indefinitely by ABC on Wednesday following criticism of on-air comments the host made in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing.

President Trump suggested on Thursday that Kimmel’s show was suspended for “bad ratings” and his “lack of talent” in addition to the remarks he made during Monday’s show.

“Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else, and he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk,” Trump said during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in England when asked by a reporter whether free speech is “more under attack in Britain or America” in light of Kimmel’s indefinite hiatus.

“Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person,” the president continued. “He had very bad ratings and they should have fired him a long time ago. So you know, you can call that free speech or not, he was fired for lack of talent.”

ABC did not say that Kimmel has been fired, nor has it given a reason for taking the show off the air. “Jimmy Kimmel Live! will be pre-empted indefinitely,” an ABC spokesperson said in a brief statement to media outlets on Wednesday night.

During his monologue on Monday, Kimmel suggested that President Trump’s supporters were trying to “score political points” by portraying Kirk’s accused killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, as a left-wing radical.

“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 before mocking comments Trump made in the days following his death.

ABC’s decision came after Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr threatened to punish the network if it did not take action. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said on a right-wing podcast on Wednesday afternoon.

Barack Obama

Former President Barack Obama also addressed the Kimmel news on Thursday.

"After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like," Obama said on X, linking to articles about Kimmel and a Washington Post opinion columnist who said she fired for posts she made about the Kirk shooting.

"This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent,” Obama added. “And media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it.”

Wanda Sykes

Sykes, who was scheduled to be a guest on Kimmel's show Wednesday night, reacted by criticizing Trump.

“He didn’t end the Ukraine war, or solve Gaza, within his first week,” Sykes said in an Instagram video. “But he did end freedom of speech within his first year. Hey, for those of you who pray, now’s the time to do it. Love you, Jimmy.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom

The Democratic governor and prominent Trump critic accused the Republican Party of censorship.

"Buying and controlling media platforms. Firing commentators. Canceling shows. These aren’t coincidences," Newsom wrote on X. "It’s coordinated. And it’s dangerous. The @GOP does not believe in free speech. They are censoring you in real time."

Vice President JD Vance

Vance mocked the suspension, suggesting Secretary of State Marc Rubio would take over for Kimmel.

Danica Patrick

The former NASCAR driver — a Trump supporter — celebrated the decision in an Instagram post.

"Human decency is coming back," Patrick wrote. "Thank god."

Marc Maron

The comedian and podcast host issued a stark warning to his TikTok followers.

“This is government censorship. This is the Trump administration coming after people who speak out against him,” Maron said. “This is the end of it. If you have any concern or belief in real freedom or the Constitution and free speech — this is it. This is the deciding moment. This is what authoritarianism looks like right now in this country. It’s happening.”

"Look, if they can come for Kimmel, they can come for anybody," Maron added. "This is happening. It’s time to act, figure it out, find a way, come together. Push back. Because if this goes, it’s over.”

Sen. Chris Murphy

The message from Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, was just as dire.

“If you don’t raise your voices right now about the assault on free speech, about Donald Trump’s decision to, disgustingly, exploit the murder of Charlie Kirk so as to try to permanently render powerless and impotent those who politically oppose him, there may be no democracy to save a year from now,” Murphy said in a video posted to X. "This is a red alert moment."

Jean Smart

The Emmy-winning Hacks star said she was “horrified” with ABC’s decision.

“What Jimmy said was FREE speech, not hate speech,” Smart wrote on Instagram said. “People seem to only want to protect free speech when it suits THEIR agenda. Though I didn’t agree at ALL with Charlie Kirk; his shooting death sickened me; and should have sickened any decent human being. What is happening to our country?”

Ben Stiller

The actor had a three-word reaction to Kimmel's suspension.

Rosie O'Donnell

O'Donnell — whose long-running feud with Trump led her to move to Ireland after he won a second a term in office — wrote on Instagram, "this is unacceptable," denouncing "this fascist administration and corrupt corporate executives" for "bowing to the orange monster."

She added: "america is no more."

Mike Birbiglia

Birbiglia called on fellow comedians to speak out.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in public and private defending comedians I don’t agree with," Birbiglia wrote in a handwritten note posted to Instagram. "If you’re a comedian and you don’t call out the insanity of pulling Kimmel off the air — don’t bother spouting off about free speech anymore.”