When Jimmy Kimmel used his late-night TV monologue to make light of Charlie Kirk’s death, he triggered a handful of complaints to the Federal Communications Commission.
But when his show was pulled in September 2025, apparently under pressure from the FCC chairman, the result was a deluge of outrage.
Now, Washington Secrets has the details.
“Allow Kimmel back on air you spineless cowards,” reads one of more than 1,600 complaints obtained by the Washington Examiner using a freedom of information request.
It shows how complaints about the comedian and his remarks quickly gave way to accusations that regulators were acting like Nazis, had been “bribed” by President Donald Trump, were acting in an “un-American” way, or had forgotten the First Amendment in a rush to be a “lapdog for the president.”
“YOU SIR ARE NOTHING BUT A TRUMP BOOTLICKER And Traitor To Our Nation In The First Degree,” reads a complaint that came from a viewer in Columbus, Ohio.
“I LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY THAT YOU ARE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR TREASON!”
Some were a lot less polite.
The complaints about censorship outnumbered the complaints about Kimmel by about 100 to 1.
Less than a week after Kirk was shot dead during a speaking event in Utah, Kimmel took the stage to deliver his monologue on Sept. 15.
“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,” he said.
Kimmel went on to mistakenly claim that Vice President JD Vance was blaming the Left for the killing.
“Many in MAGAland are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk,” he said.
The complaint file shows several concerns about the segment were logged, with a handful of viewers accusing Kimmel of misrepresenting what happened.
“Jimmy Kimmel On His Show Make A Comment About Charlie Kirk That Was Offensive And Spreading False Narratives That It Was The Republican Cause The Murder Of Charlie Kirk,” reads one from Mohnton, Pennsylvania.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr quickly promised action.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” he told podcaster Benny Johnson. “These companies can find ways to change conduct to take action on Kimmel or, you know, there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
Several owners of TV stations announced they would not broadcast his show before ABC, which produces Jimmy Kimmel Live!, said it was taking the comedian off the air altogether.
And the complaints log shows that America is a nation of First Amendment supporters.
“You Are Weak And Embarrassing,” said a viewer in Buda, Texas, on the day ABC made its announcement. “Put Jimmy Kimmel Back On The Air. Protect Free Speech!!”
A slew of complaints compared Kimmel’s words with what Brian Kilmeade had said a day earlier on Fox News a day earlier.
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“It is hypocritical of Brendan Carr influencing the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel in light of doing nothing regarding Brian Kilmeade at Fox who talked about involuntary lethal injection for the homeless. This is an outrageous double standard.”
Others were more brief, boiling down their complaints to a few words.
“Eff off you losers – saw you on Benny Hill or whatever that was,” said one, referring to an old British slapstick comedy show.
Another offered: “Brendan Carr is a fragile little snowflake b****.”
And a complaint from Portland, Oregon, reads, “I Think Your Chairman Is A Lapdog For The President.”
They easily outnumbered the ones complaining about Kimmel himself and accusing him of misrepresenting the shooting.
Yet conservatives were also worried about how the controversy was handled. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), for example, accused the head of the regulator of acting like a “mafioso.”
Kimmel returned to the air about a week after being suspended. He said it was never his “intention to make light of the murder of a young man.”
“This show is not important,” he said. “What’s important is that we live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.”
And the right to complain, he might have added.
You are reading a bonus installment of Washington Secrets, a guide to power and politics in D.C. and beyond. It is written by Rob Crilly, whom you can reach at secrets@washingtonexaminer DOT COM with your comments, story tips, and suggestions. If a friend sent you this and you’d like to sign up, click here.