ABC needs to come clean on why it gave Jimmy Kimmel the boot

ABC brass should clarify ASAP why they suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s show: The utter silence feeds confusion, conspiracy theories and other division.

On Monday’s show, Kimmel all but declared “this kid who killed Charlie Kirk” to be one of “the MAGA gang,” slammed the right for pretending otherwise and “doing everything they can to score political points” from the assassination.

As video of the smear circulated Tuesday among the overwhelming majority of Americans who never watch the show, public fury mounted and complaints started pouring into local affiliates.

And as ABC affiliates were then complaining to the network, threatening to drop the show, Federal Communications Commission chief Brendan Carr warned that the agency would need to “look at” possible “remedies” to the “concerted effort to lie to the American people” about the assassination that included Kimmel’s “truly sick” comments.

Meanwhile, Kimmel was preparing to return to the issue again in Wednesday’s show — not with any kind of apology or retraction, but reportedly with anger at his critics.

Then the Disney-owned network announced the indefinite suspension of the show — with zero explanation.

That raised concerns that Carr, a Trump appointee, had bullied the network (and companies that own multiple ABC affiliates) into the move: outright partisan government censorship that could easily be deployed in the opposite direction whenever Democrats regain the White House.

As of Thursday, Kimmel remained at odds with the top execs, who want him to de-escalate.

Yet the network is still mum about any reason, official or unofficial, for the suspension.

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Here’s the latest on Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension after Charlie Kirk comments

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Management may agree that Kimmel’s comments were beyond the pale; he reportedly erupted at the idea of an apology during a call with Disney exec Dana Walden Wednesday afternoon, when he learned he was getting yanked.

Maybe ABC was spooked by Carr’s threats, or by affiliates’ fury at risking their FCC license — but fears more blowback if it makes that known.

But word is that the network was already questioning how Kimmel’s low ratings (viewership tanked from a weak 1.95 million in January to to a worse 1.1 million in August) could justify his huge salary, reportedly $16 million a year before bonuses.

Maybe some in management were looking for a way to lose this albatross: If he quits in a rage, that’s a big savings.

The rumor mill will keep on turning until Disney and/or ABC offer some clear account of why Kimmel’s in limbo and what he must do to get out.

If management thinks he’s in the wrong (as it should!), then spine up and say so.

If the suits want to put it all on the affiliates (and implicitly on Carr), at least do that — though at this point they’ll need to at least express an opinion on his remarks, even if they say it’s OK if he’s such a jerk on their airwaves.

Someone somewhere between Disney CEO Bob Iger, Disney TV boss Dana Walden and ABC late-night chief Rob Mills will have to own the suspension call and describe the thinking behind it as well as what needs to happen next.

Silence only keeps muddying the waters, dragging out the media frenzy and encouraging everyone on all sides to believe whatever they think is the worst.