GET THE APP
Monday, February 23, 2026

Tag: abc
September 19, 2025
News

Disney Chief Suspended Kimmel Before Second Charlie Kirk Monologue Doubling Down on MAGA Smears.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show on ABC was directly suspended by Disney CEO Bob Iger following backlash over his controversial monologues.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jimmy Kimmel, Disney CEO Bob Iger, Disney Entertainment Co-Chair Dana Walden, and affiliate station owners Nexstar and Sinclair.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The suspension occurred on Wednesday, with the decision made at Disney headquarters.

💬KEY QUOTE: “If Jimmy went on the air, there would have been no way back from that monologue for Jimmy.” – Anonymous source

🎯IMPACT: The suspension aims to protect Disney’s brand amid significant viewer and local affiliate backlash.

IN FULL

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was reportedly preparing to deliver a controversial monologue defending his false remarks regarding Charlie Kirk’s assassination before ABC suspended his show this week. The monologue was set to address backlash stemming from Kimmel’s earlier comments, though the late-night host is believed to have not run the plan past senior executives at ABC or its parent company, Disney.

An unnamed source, speaking to the media, described the planned monologue as “very hot” and stated it would have targeted President Donald J. Trump’s MAGA supporters. The source added, “If Jimmy went on the air, there would have been no way back from that monologue for Jimmy. We didn’t want that. Everyone deeply values him and wants him to come back. But he has to take down the temperature.”

Kimmel’s plan was eventually discovered by Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment Co-Chair Dana Walden, who stepped in and suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! in order to protect the Disney brand from any continued controversy. The Disney CEO has recently been making drastic cuts to programming and staff that he sees as hostile to the company’s audience.

Notably, two major local broadcasters that control around 80 ABC local affiliates, Nexstar and Sinclair, announced they would drop Kimmel from their programming line-up. The affiliate revolt likely played a significant role in Iger’s decision to pull Kimmel.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
September 19, 2025
News

Sinclair Replacing Kimmel with Charlie Kirk Tribute.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Sinclair Broadcasting Group announced it will air a tribute to Charlie Kirk during the Jimmy Kimmel Live! timeslot on its ABC stations.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Sinclair Broadcasting Group, Disney’s ABC, Jimmy Kimmel, Charlie Kirk, and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The tribute will air Friday night on Sinclair’s ABC stations and across all Sinclair stations over the weekend.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country.” – Jason Smith, Sinclair Vice Chairman.

🎯IMPACT: Sinclair has pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely and is demanding an apology and action from Disney and Kimmel.

IN FULL

Sinclair Broadcasting Group has announced plans to air a tribute to Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk on its ABC stations this Friday during the Jimmy Kimmel Live! timeslot. The company confirmed that the tribute will also air across all Sinclair stations over the weekend and is being offered to all ABC affiliates nationwide.

The decision follows Disney’s ABC suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely after Kimmel made false statements regarding Kirk’s assassination. Kimmel accused the “MAGA gang” of politicizing the killing and implied the alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson, was MAGA, stating, “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.”

Sinclair has demanded a direct apology from Kimmel to the Kirk family and is calling for a “meaningful” personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk founded. Sinclair also stated it will not lift the suspension of Kimmel’s show until formal discussions are held with ABC about its “commitment to professionalism and accountability.”

Charlie Kirk was assassinated on September 10 while speaking at a Turning Point USA event in Utah. The alleged shooter was motivated by far-left political beliefs, according to statements by his mother in a charging document.

“Mr. Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country,” said Jason Smith, Vice Chairman of Sinclair. Sinclair has also garnered support from Nexstar, another major station group, and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr, who has threatened action against Disney and ABC over Kimmel’s false remarks.

Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.

show less
show more
December 4, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Media

Failing ABC Faces Crashing Ratings in Smelly, Freezing Building with No Wi-Fi.

ABC’s Good Morning America faces declining ratings and deteriorating conditions at its former headquarters as the network transitions to a new location in downtown Manhattan. The flagship morning show has been losing ground to NBC’s Today, sparking concern among Disney and ABC executives.

Sources describe the Upper West Side building, which has housed ABC since the 1980s, as “falling apart.” Over the weekend, the building’s antenna was ripped off, with no plans for replacement. Staffers still working on-site endure freezing temperatures and complain about the lack of Wi-Fi and the building’s poor maintenance. “The heat is off!” one insider quipped, while another reported, “It smells like crap.”

The deteriorating conditions come as the building awaits demolition. ABC sold the property in 2018 for nearly $1 billion but has remained a tenant while transitioning to its new Hudson Square facility. According to insiders, the building’s current owners have little incentive to maintain it, with plans afoot to replace the complex with high-rise developments.

Staff have dealt with infestations of mice and fleas, broken elevators, and escalators, forcing some to avoid certain areas. “The building is going to get condemned,” one employee said.

Meanwhile, GMA is struggling to retain its audience. Reports indicate a ratings slide that executive producer Simone Swink acknowledged during a recent staff meeting. Disney executive Debra O’Connell and ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic have reportedly expressed frustration over the lagging performance. President-elect Donald J. Trump trashed the network as biased and dishonest even by the standards of the corporate media during the 2024 election campaign.

Image by Adam Fagen.

show less
ABC’s Good Morning America faces declining ratings and deteriorating conditions at its former headquarters as the network transitions to a new location in downtown Manhattan. The flagship morning show has been losing ground to NBC’s Today, sparking concern among Disney and ABC executives. show more
September 4, 2024
Raheem J. Kassam
Election 2024

REPORT: Kamala Is STILL Trying to Renegotiate the Debate Rules – Here’s Why…

Kamala Harris and her team are still trying to change the debate rules for her showdown with President Trump on ABC News on September 10, less than one week away, according to NBC News:

The Harris campaign is still negotiating with ABC News about rules for the Sept. 10 debate with Trump, according to a Harris campaign official.

No agreement has been reached on the final rules, the official said.

One of the key issues is whether the candidates’ microphones should be muted when it isn’t their turn to speak.

“Republicans want them muted; Democrats don’t,” wrote NBC on August 30, with the issue still not yet put to bed.

The Harris campaign claims: “She not only wants America to see Donald Trump unvarnished on a hot mic; she wants to show America she can stand up to him and take anything and everything he throws at her… Voters always want to see that. When you stand up to others, that means you’ll stand up for them. That is a critical test, especially as a woman candidate for president.”

In other words, the argument is not so much about Trump having his mic on or off, but rather that Harris wants to be able to freely interrupt the 45th President during his answers.

show less
Kamala Harris and her team are still trying to change the debate rules for her showdown with President Trump on ABC News on September 10, less than one week away, according to NBC News: show more
January 16, 2024
Ed Kozak
Politics

Biden Presidential Approval Rating Drops to Near 20-Year Low.

Joe Biden’s presidential approval rating has plummeted to a near 20-year low, according to a new ABC/Ipsos poll.

The Democratic president currently sits at 58 percent disapproval and only 33 percent approval — the worst presidential approval numbers since George W. Bush between 2006 and 2008. The poll also revealed that just 57 percent of voters who lean Democratic would be satisfied with Biden as the Party’s nominee in 2024.

A deeper dive into the poll results sheds some light on why. As the border crisis rages on, only 18 percent of respondents support Biden’s handling of immigration — the lowest number on record since ABC began polling the issue in 2004. Biden is also facing high disapproval numbers due to his mishandling of the economy. Seventy-one percent of those polled said the economy was bad, with nearly half saying they are worse off now economically than when Donald Trump was president. Overall, 56 percent of people disapprove of Biden’s handling of the economy.

President Biden is also hemorrhaging support among younger minority voters. While Biden maintains a 65 percent approval rating among Black people aged 50 and up, he has only a 32 percent approval rating among Black people younger than 50. His approval rating with Black people in general is 21 points below average, and among Hispanic people, it is 15 points below average, according to the poll. Biden has also seen women abandon him. Although he received the vote of 57 percent of women in 2020, he now only has the approval of 31 percent.

show less
Joe Biden's presidential approval rating has plummeted to a near 20-year low, according to a new ABC/Ipsos poll. show more