The indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show is sparking widespread outrage among his high-profile friends and supporters, while some of the comedian's critics — including the president — are celebrating ABC's shock move.

A spokesperson for the network confirmed to USA TODAY on Sept. 17 that "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" will be "pre-empted indefinitely." The decision came after Brendan Carr, chairman of the FCC, put pressure on ABC to take action against Kimmel over a comment he made about Charlie Kirk's alleged killer. Nexstar Media Group Inc. said it would stop airing Kimmel's show on its ABC affiliates shortly before the Disney-owned network announced the suspension.

During his Sept. 15 episode, Kimmel said that "the MAGA gang" was "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."

The suspension appeared to be so last-minute that comedian Wanda Sykes, who was Kimmel's scheduled guest for Sept. 17, noted in an Instagram video she was "in a full face of makeup" and was ready to go on the air.

"(Trump) didn't end the Ukraine war or solve Gaza within his first week, but he did end freedom of speech within his first year," Sykes said. "Hey, for those of you who pray, now's the time to do it. Love you, Jimmy."

Jean Smart, who played a late-night talk show host on the HBO Max series "Hacks," said she was "horrified" by ABC's decision, adding, "What Jimmy said was FREE speech, not hate speech. People seem to only want to protect free speech when it suits THEIR agenda."

Ben Stiller reacted to the news on X by writing simply, "This isn't right," while comedian Mike Birbiglia said that any comedian who doesn't "call out the insanity of pulling Kimmel off the air" shouldn't "bother spouting off about free speech anymore."

Josh Gad, who voices Olaf in Disney's "Frozen" franchise, called out the company on Threads. "Hey Disney ... this ain't it," he wrote.

Comedian and podcast host Marc Maron decried the suspension as "government censorship" and told followers that "if you have any concern or belief in real freedom or the Constitution and free speech, this is it. This is the deciding moment."

Many cable news commentators also expressed their horror and displeasure, including Van Jones, who said on CNN, "This is a red line that has been crossed for our industry, for the First Amendment, for the right of people to speak."

But some of Kimmel's critics on the right celebrated news that he has been taken off the air, starting with President Donald Trump, who on Truth Social applauded ABC for "finally having the courage to do what had to be done." Kimmel is a longtime critic of Trump, who has regularly criticized the president on his late-night show and while hosting the Academy Awards.

On his Fox News show, Sean Hannity expressed his delight, saying Kimmel's show had "become nothing more than nonstop, never-ending, 'hate Donald Trump.'" Hannity also claimed that the suspension came about not due to political pressure but because Kimmel "simply failed at his job."

Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly argued on X that Kimmel's comment about Kirk's alleged killer was a "vile disgusting lie," and "ANY EMPLOYER IN MEDIA WOULD SEE HOW DEPRAVED AND SICK THIS WAS." She added, "In short, GOOD RIDDANCE."

The Daily Wire commentator Matt Walsh similarly wrote that Kimmel "deserves to be fired" because he "lied about Charlie's assassination and used the opportunity to defame Charlie's own friends and allies."

Comedian and "The Paper" star Alex Edelman described the suspension as "the actual cancel culture everyone claims to hate so much." But Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, had a different view.

"When a person says something that a ton of people find offensive, rude, dumb in real time and then that person is punished for it that's not cancel culture," Portnoy wrote on X. "That is consequences for your actions."

Kimmel's supporters argued his comment was taken out of context and that he was not necessarily asserting Kirk's alleged killer to be a Trump supporter.

"Kimmel wasn't saying the shooter was MAGA," MeidasTouch cofounder Brett Meiselas said on X. "What he was pointing out is that MAGA's first instinct wasn't to seek truth or justice — it was to immediately cast blame and point fingers at everyone else. That's not an attack, it's a statement of fact."

Kimmel had previously sent love to Kirk's family in the wake of his death, posting on Instagram on Sept. 10, "Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?"

Kimmel's fellow late-night hosts have yet to weigh in on ABC's decision. USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon for comment.

Contributing: Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Reaction to Jimmy Kimmel suspension reflects America's divide

Reporting by Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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