NBC late night host Jimmy Fallon backed out of Fast Company’s Innovation Festival last-minute after his competitor Jimmy Kimmel was pulled from ABC’s airwaves over comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassin.
On Thursday, Fallon and Bozoma Saint John, the chief marketing officer of his unscripted reality series “On Brand With Jimmy Fallon,” were scheduled to speak at the New York City conference. Per the panel description, the pair was set to discuss “what they’ve found resonates in today’s ever-evolving cultural landscape and what it takes for a brand to break through.”
“In light of recent events, Jimmy couldn’t be here,” a Fast Company spokesperson told TheWrap. “But we were so happy to have Bozoma Saint John.”
Representatives for NBCUniversal did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment.
In his Monday night monologue, Kimmel knocked Republicans over trying to politicize Kirk’s death, citing their speculation over the weekend about alleged gunman Tyler Robinson’s political affiliations.
“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 said.
Authorities have since said that Robinson’s political beliefs were largely in line with leftist causes, prompting conservative media to attack Kimmel. That included Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump loyalist, who told a podcast Wednesday that Kimmel should be reprimanded and indicated that the FCC could act, given its oversight of the licenses ABC uses to broadcast its programming. Ominously, Carr said he can “do this the easy way or the hard way.”
Not long after those remarks, Nexstar Media Group, which has more than 200 owned or partner stations in 116 U.S. markets reaching 220 million people, said it would preempt the late night show’s broadcast indefinitely, calling Kimmel’s remarks “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse.” About 30 of Nexstar stations are ABC affiliates.
“We do not believe they reflect the spectrum of opinions, views, or values
of the local communities in which we are located,” Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, said in a statement. “Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail as we move toward the resumption of respectful, constructive dialogue.”
ABC quickly followed suit, with a network spokesperson telling TheWrap that Kimmel’s show would be “preempted indefinitely.” A Disney insider told TheWrap that Kimmel is not being canceled, and that, instead, the network is looking to take a beat and lower the temperature before seeking a way to get Kimmel back on the air.
Sinclair, another major station group that owns 30 ABC affiliates known for its conservative political profile, also said that it would not carry “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” until “formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability.” They added that Kimmel’s timeslot on Friday would be replaced with a special remembering Kirk.
The company also said Kimmel’s suspension is “not enough” and demanded that he issue an apology to the Kirk family and make a “meaningful personal donation” to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA.
Following news of Kimmel being pulled, President Donald Trump celebrated, saying the host has “zero talent” and “worse ratings” than CBS’ Stephen Colbert, whose show is ending in May 2026.
Colbert’s cancellation came amid the FCC’s lengthy review of Paramount and Skydance’s $8 billion merger, which officially closed in August. CBS has argued the move was “purely financial,” with insiders noting that the show was losing $40 million annually, and Skydance has claimed it was “not involved” in the decision.
“That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC,” Trump added Wednesday on Truth Social. “Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!”
Both Fallon and Meyers have renewed their contracts with NBCUniversal to host “The Tonight Show” and “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” respectively, through 2028.
