As Jimmy Kimmel Live! remains off the air following the controversial remarks made by its host, a member of the show’s production team, is speaking out about the uncertainty surrounding its future.
In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, a Jimmy Kimmel Live! staffer shared insight into the emotional and professional toll the show’s abrupt hiatus has taken. “We don’t know anything,” the unnamed employee said on Friday, September 19, just two days after ABC announced it would be “indefinitely” shelving the long-running late-night program.
The decision came in the wake of Kimmel’s recent on-air comments about late right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot during a university speaking engagement in Utah on September 10. Tyler Robinson, 22, has since been charged with aggravated murder in connection with the killing.
“Jimmy and the producers have had to keep this close to the vest,” the staff member told PEOPLE, noting that there has been a significant lack of communication from the network since the announcement. “There’s been nothing. We’re just hoping that we’re gonna hear something soon and hopefully it’s good.”
According to the employee, the decision to pull the show was made “shortly before showtime” on Tuesday, September 17 — after the team had already spent hours preparing for that evening’s taping. “It was very quick and very shocking. It was a big shock to everybody,” they said. Afterward, the staff gathered for a meeting, but received little clarity about what might come next.
“I’m not ready to admit that it’s over,” the staffer added, emphasizing that despite the uncertainty, the Jimmy Kimmel Live! team remains united. “The Kimmel crew is a family… we’re literally just going off of our gut and our hope.”
Kimmel’s remarks that sparked the backlash centered around political reactions to Kirk’s death. “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang 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,” Kimmel said during the September 16 episode. “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
He then aired footage of former President Donald Trump responding to Kirk’s death, in which Trump quickly pivoted from condolences to bragging about a White House ballroom construction project. Returning to the camera, Kimmel deadpanned, “Yes, he’s at the fourth stage of grief: construction.”
Following the show’s airing, major ABC affiliates — including those owned by Nexstar and Sinclair — pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! from their lineups and called on ABC to take disciplinary action. Both broadcast giants cited Kimmel’s tone and remarks as disrespectful and politically charged. In response to their actions, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, praised the networks on X (formerly Twitter) for holding Kimmel “accountable.”
Sinclair, which operates the largest group of ABC affiliates, reportedly issued a list of demands before allowing the show to resume airing, including a public apology to Kirk’s family and a donation to Turning Point USA, the conservative organization Kirk founded. Nexstar, meanwhile, is in the process of acquiring Tegna for over $6 billion — a merger that would give the company access to 80% of American TV households, well above current FCC limits.
The timing of the suspension has raised broader concerns about media consolidation, political influence, and free speech in late-night comedy. Trump, who has been locked in a public feud with several late-night hosts, celebrated the development. “Fired for lack of talent,” he wrote on Truth Social, in a post mocking Kimmel.
Although Kimmel has not directly addressed his show being pulled off-air, he did offer condolences to Kirk’s family via social media: “Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human? On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.”
As PEOPLE reports, the atmosphere among the show’s crew is tense but hopeful. “This is way out of our hands,” the staffer admitted. “We’re hoping that there’s some sort of peaceful resolution in our future that’s gonna figure this out. Unfortunately, we have nothing of substance to give us anything.”
In the meantime, Kimmel has received vocal support from fellow late-night hosts, including Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert, whose Late Show was canceled earlier this summer by CBS. Industry unions have also issued statements supporting Kimmel and urging ABC to protect the creative independence of its performers.
For now, the future of Jimmy Kimmel Live! remains uncertain — but the people behind it aren’t giving up just yet.