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When announcing that it would suspend Jimmy Kimmel’s broadcast, broadcasting group Nexstar Communications Group called the comedian’s statements about Charlie Kirk’s death as “offensive and insensitive” during a pivotal period in American political dialogue.

Followers of Donald Trump applauded the action, with the White House deputy chief of staff calling it an instance of “consequence culture”.

But what exactly did Jimmy Kimmel claim that angered the Trump supporters?

During his Monday night monologue, Kimmel suggested that Kirk’s accused killer, Tyler Robinson, might have been a Trump supporter.

“The Maga Gang [is] 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 stated.

That particular remark appears to have angered Republican loyalists and officials the most.

In an interview on Wednesday, the administration-selected head of the US media regulator suggested it appeared a “concerted effort to mislead the American audience.”

Brendan Carr went on to call Kimmel’s comments as an attempt to “support a narrative that the perpetrator was in some way driven by right-wing ideals.”

Carr additionally threatened that if action were not taken against Kimmel, there would be “further action for the FCC down the line.”

“It’s long past the time that stations announce, ‘We’re not gonna run Kimmel anymore due to the possibility of fines or license revocation from the FCC,’” Carr remarked.

Senator Ed Markey labeled the development as “censorship in action”.

“The FCC chair threatens ABC and Disney over Kimmel’s comments. Shortly after, he’s off air. It’s alarming and a breach of rights. The signal to every media organization is obvious: Adopt the MAGA line or the FCC will come after you,” Markey declared.

Jimmy Kimmel additionally mentioned the backlash to Kirk’s death on his Tuesday show, saying that “many in Maga-land are trying hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk”.

Mentioning VP JD Vance’s statement while guest-hosting Kirk’s podcast, Kimmel remarked that “Trump and his allies are doing their best to stoke tensions, so they can I guess attack people on the liberal wing.”

Insiders suggest that Kimmel was planning to address the reaction on that evening’s show and clarify how his comments had been misrepresented. Kimmel was not intending to issue an apology for them.