All about the business decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel from ABC after his Charlie Kirk comments

Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show was yanked “indefinitely” after he falsely insinuated that Charlie Kirk’s assassin was a MAGA follower — a move that came as powerful local TV owners and the Federal Communications Commission turned up the heat on ABC’s parent, Disney.

What did Jimmy Kimmel say about Charlie Kirk?

On Monday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” the host said “the MAGA gang” was exploiting Kirk’s killing “to score political points.”

“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.

“In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving,” he added.

Kirk, 31, was shot dead last Wednesday during an event at Utah Valley University, authorities said. A 22-year-old Utah man who investigators say was swayed by left-leaning ideology has been charged.

ABC announced Wednesday the show would be “pre-empted indefinitely.”

Where did the decision to suspend Kimmel’s show come from?

Disney Entertainment Co-Chair Dana Walden phoned Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday afternoon to tell him his 22-year ABC run was being put on hold, Deadline reported.

Deadline said Walden and CEO Bob Iger made the call to “preempt” the show “indefinitely” after FCC Chair Brendan Carr labeled Kimmel’s remarks “some of the sickest conduct possible.”

Kimmel had planned to address the controversy on-air and “call out” some of Trump’s supporters while clarifying his comments, according to Deadline.

He “was unwilling to apologize,” insiders told Deadline. Executives worried that if he “doubled down,” Disney would be forced into a more drastic decision on the show’s future, per the outlet.

“The company hopes that it will be able to have Kimmel back on the air ‘soon,’” Deadline reported, adding that ABC told stations the show would be off through Thursday and replaced by “Celebrity Family Feud,” with further guidance to follow.

“It was a heavy day for everybody,” an insider told Deadline.

What are Sinclair and Nexstar, and how did those companies influence ABC/Disney’s decision?

Nexstar Media Group — the nation’s largest owner of local TV stations — said it would preempt “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” “for the foreseeable future” in its ABC-affiliate markets.

Sinclair Broadcast Group, which operates dozens of ABC affiliates, called Kimmel’s remarks “inappropriate and deeply insensitive,” said it would pull the show from its stations, and demanded a “direct apology” plus a donation to Turning Point USA and Kirk’s family.

It also slated a Friday “remembrance” special in Kimmel’s time slot.

Josh McCrain, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Utah, said the affiliates’ clout stems from years of consolidation that expanded the reach of giants like Sinclair and Nexstar.

“The FCC under Trump specifically engineered regulations to let Sinclair grow,” McCrain said, noting rule changes “made it easier for these TV conglomerates to own local stations.”

“In the past, when Nexstar didn’t own such a large portion of local TV, it wouldn’t have had the ability to force ABC’s hand,” McCrain told The Post.

McCrain said his research finds that when Sinclair buys a station, “local political coverage drops, while national political coverage increases and becomes more favorable to the Republican Party.”

“That’s a Sinclair-specific effect,” he said.

“As these groups get bigger, they centralize content production and distribute it to affiliates, which reduces the amount of local coverage,” McCrain said, calling the consolidation a product of “policy choices” that can be reversed.

Nexstar is seeking FCC approval to acquire Tegna in a $6.2 billion deal. Disney, meanwhile, is pursuing approvals tied to a high-stakes ESPN pact with the NFL involving NFL Media assets.

McCrain warned that government pressure over broadcast content marks “a worrying trend regardless of ideology,” pointing to the FCC’s historical mandate to ensure “an open market for competition and ideas.”

What has Trump said?

Trump cheered the suspension from Britain on Thursday, calling Kimmel “not talented” with “bad ratings” and declaring, “Great News for America.”

He urged NBC to take similar action against other late-night hosts, including Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon.

Fallon on Thursday abruptly canceled his scheduled appearance at Fast Company’s Innovation Festival in New York City on Thursday. News of Fallon’s cancellation was first reported by Adweek.

The president also praised affiliates for refusing to air the show and suggested broadcasters’ licenses could be “taken away,” while saying any action would be “up to [FCC Chair] Brendan Carr.”

Federal law bars the FCC from revoking licenses based on viewpoint.

Will Kimmel be put back on air? What happens next?

ABC has not said whether “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will return or be canceled.

Executives “hope” he’ll eventually come back, according to Status, but affiliates’ preemptions and pending business before federal regulators complicate the calculus.

But Disney and ABC honchos may have their work cut out for them in convincing Kimmel to return.

The host is said to be “absolutely f–king livid” over the decision to ice his show, sources told the Daily Mail.

“This is clearly the government overreaching. There’s no such thing as free speech in America, if the government can lean on companies to stop any content they don’t like,” a source told the publication.

Sinclair said it won’t return Kimmel’s show “until formal discussions are held with ABC” and a personal apology and donation are made.

Nexstar said its ABC affiliates will continue to air alternate programming “for the foreseeable future.”

How have people reacted?

Former President Barack Obama condemned Disney’s decision, saying media firms must not bow to government coercion. He also blasted routine threats of regulatory action to muzzle critics.

Writers’ and actors’ unions and PEN America called the suspension an attack on free expression.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom called it “coordinated” and “dangerous,” while journalists and entertainers denounced the move on social media.

Some social media users posted screenshots of canceled Disney+ subscriptions and others voiced calls for a boycott of Disney properties.

FCC Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez said the administration “is increasingly using the weight of government power to suppress lawful expression.”

Carr praised Nexstar publicly for “doing the right thing.”

The FCC boss also told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” that the Trump administration is “not done yet” with the changes in “the media ecosystem.”

Crowds gathered outside Kimmel’s Hollywood studio Wednesday, with protesters split between calling it censorship and demanding accountability.

Kimmel was seen leaving the El Capitan Theatre but declined comment; staffers were told of the suspension hours before taping.

“‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ will be preempted indefinitely,” ABC said in a statement. No timeline was provided.