Former Fox News commentator Geraldo Rivera told “Situation Room” co-host Wolf Blitzer Thursday that late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel “owes the Kirk family an apology” for comments about Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
ABC benched Kimmel on Wednesday after Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcasting announced they would not air “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in the wake of comments about the Sept. 10 assassination of Kirk made on the late-night talk show by Kimmel Monday night. Rivera said the decision to yank Kimmel wasn’t about the Federal Communications Commission or President Donald Trump.
“The American people have suffered a trauma, a trauma that I think is minimized by smart people, sophisticated people who oppose Donald Trump,” Rivera said. “This is very simple. Have respect. You don’t have to have to agree with me. To have affection, have some feeling that we have lost somehow. We’ve allowed that would… how would the left be responding if Charlie Kirk was one of them? I just think that it‘s time now to not only lower the temperature, but to embrace our fellow country person.”
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During Monday’s program, Kimmel made comments that hinted that the alleged assassin, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was a supporter of Trump. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah outlined some of the evidence recovered in the course of the manhunt during both a Friday press conference and on Sunday shows, including ABC’s “This Week,” including confirming that ammunition in the rifle was reportedly etched with left-wing slogans, including “Bella Ciao,” a popular song among left-wing militias in Italy during World War II.
Robinson also lived with his transgender lover before the shooting and sent text messages admitting to the assassination, according to a charging document released on Tuesday.
Comments that celebrated, mocked or justified Kirk’s assassination took place in various social media venues online, especially on platforms like BlueSky, leading to numerous people, including MSNBC political analyst Matthew Dowd and Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah, being fired.
“We always worry about free speech. We fiercely guard it. And we are very articulate and impassioned when we criticize government for it. And thank God we have the ability to do that, Rivera said. “I think that those cynics who suggest that Jimmy Kimmel was doing badly in the ratings, not just the president, but a lot of commentators, even on CNN… have pointed out that Kimmel‘s ratings have flattened.”
“But it should not matter whether his popularity affects his rights. The beef between him and his bosses, that’s between them… They will fight it out,” Rivera continued. “But I think that I go back to where I started minutes ago, Wolf. Jimmy Kimmel owes the family of Charlie Kirk an apology, and it’s wrong to overthink it and make it about government and censorship and these other issues.”
Sinclair Broadcasting, in its statement posted on X, hinted that its refusal to air Kimmel’s show might be a lengthy one.
“Sinclair will not lift the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on our stations until formal discussions are held with ABC regarding the network’s commitment to professionalism and accountability,” the statement read. “Sinclair also [calls] upon Mr. Kimmel to issue a direct apology to the Kirk family. Furthermore, Sinclair asks Mr. Kimmel to make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA.”
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