When announcing that it would pull Jimmy Kimmel’s programme, the TV station operator Nexstar Media Group called comments the comedian had made about the far-right activist Charlie Kirk’s death “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse”.
Supporters of Donald Trump have praised the decision, and the White House deputy chief of staff called it an example of “consequence culture”. However, anti-Trump politicians as well as media figures and free speech organisations have warned it is part of an effort to systematically silence Trump’s critics.
