Disney is at the center of a growing scandal after Jimmy Kimmel’s remarks about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
The late-night host, during his monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, accused Trump supporters of twisting the story of Kirk’s murder and then mocked President Donald Trump’s response to the tragedy.
He said they were “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” before sneering at Trump’s words of grief and comparing him to a child mourning a goldfish.
The backlash was immediate, and it has only grown in intensity. Critics argue that Kimmel misled his audience by suggesting the killer was connected to the right when court filings and media reports tell a different story.
🚨URGENT: This is Jimmy Kimmel's response to a very public assassination of Charlie Kirk, a Christian and Conservative.
How is this acceptable and how is any of this funny?
Disney and ABC needs to answer some questions. pic.twitter.com/tmveWRcNUT
— Eric Deters (@bulllaw) September 16, 2025
According to The New York Times, Tyler Robinson, the man charged with killing Kirk, was described as a lone assassin with hardening left-wing, pro-LGBTQ views, not a member of the hard-right “groyper” movement as some had claimed. That detail became a rallying point for Kimmel’s detractors, who accused him of outright lying on national television.
The response online has been nothing short of furious. Former West Virginia state delegate Derrick Evans called Kimmel a liar. Others flooded social media with demands for Disney to fire him, warning that lawsuits would follow if the company failed to act.
“Failure to comply will result in endless lawsuits,” one viral post read. Another declared that people like Jimmy Kimmel “must have their careers completely destroyed.” Some pointed directly to Kirk’s family, questioning how anyone could laugh about the murder of a husband and father of two.
Disney, which owns ABC, has so far remained silent, and that silence is drawing its own wave of criticism.
With Charlie Kirk’s memorial service set to take place soon and President Trump expected to attend, pressure on the company is mounting by the day. Observers note that Disney now faces a decision that could determine both Kimmel’s career and the company’s reputation. By allowing him to remain on air, critics say Disney is complicit in spreading misinformation and deepening divisions at a time when national tensions are already running high.
For many, this is not just about Jimmy Kimmel’s future. It’s about whether Disney is willing to hold one of its biggest stars accountable—or whether the company is prepared to weather the fallout of defending him. Either way, the controversy shows no signs of fading, and the calls for Kimmel’s firing are growing louder by the hour.
Good bye so long. You have freedom of speech, but it does come with consequences. Him and Stephen can stand on the unemployment line.
People are murdered every day, but no one cares or are concerned. Because they are unknown and leave little impact. But someone with connections or followers gets murdered, it’s national news. I personally never heard of kirk until he was killed. It is sad it happened, but don’t make a Saint out of him. Don’t use it to further a cause or blame others for their opinions.
Free speech apparently now only applies to Republicans! This is so against the first amendment.
It is so amazing that they accuse Kimmel of lying but it is well documented and fact checked that Trump liars it every time he opens his mouth
What happened to Jimmy Kimmel’s freedom of speech which is part of the First Amendment?!! If a Republican got backlash from saying something like this, it probably would have been escalated to a public tragedy!! What’s wrong with this country!! Only certain people are allowed to have their inalienable rights!!
Jimmy Kimmel is on late night TV and should be allowed to express each view on certain things like Steven Colbert and all the other late night talk show hosts. Look at what Johnny Carson used to say. It’s their right!!
What if he had shot students instead of Kirk? Would there be this outrage?
Well, I think we should all take a page from Kirk’s book — Some gun deaths are just accepted to have 2nd amendment rights. So, he took it this year, for us to own AK47’s if we want. Thanks, Buddy. Also, if you plan on flying planes, fingers crossed that the pilot isn’t black. PS. I don’t care about color of skin. Everyone is graded the same on the tests. I also do not think anyone needs to own a gun that turns meat into swiss cheese. Don’t tell me its for hunting or ‘self defense’. But, these are my rights for first amendment. I’m allowed to say and think what I want.