LOS ANGELES/WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Walt

Disney ( DIS )-owned ABC said on Wednesday it was pulling "Jimmy

Kimmel Live" off the air, after comments by the late-night

show's host about the assassination of Charlie Kirk triggered a

threat by the head of the top U.S. communications regulator

against Disney ( DIS ).

President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly pressured

broadcasters to stop airing content he has found objectionable

and called on the Federal Communications Commission to pull

licenses from stations, celebrated the news in a social media

post.

A number of Democratic lawmakers assailed the decision,

saying that free speech was under attack.

"'Jimmy Kimmel Live' will be pre-empted indefinitely,"

an ABC spokesperson said, without elaborating.

"Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do

what had to be done," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. He

also called on Comcast ( CMCSA )-owned NBC to fire Jimmy Fallon

and Seth Meyers, the hosts of late-night comedy shows on the

network who often make jokes at Trump's expense.

Kimmel made remarks on Monday night about the September 10

assassination of Kirk.

"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 on his

Monday night show.

Kimmel also criticized Trump's mourning of Kirk, pointing to

a video of Trump's comments on the White House lawn. "This is

how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish," Kimmel said.

Kimmel did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on

Wednesday.

Trump has frequently credited Kirk for driving more young

voters and voters of color in support of his successful 2024

presidential campaign. Kirk was a co-founder at age 18 of

Turning Point USA, an organization dedicated to advancing

conservative causes on college campuses and among young voters.

ABC made its announcement after Nexstar Media Group ( NXST )

said it would stop airing the show on its 32 ABC

affiliates, citing Kimmel's comments.

"Mr. Kimmel's comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are

offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national

political discourse," said Andrew Alford, president of the

broadcasting division of Nexstar.

FCC CHAIR SAYS IT'S A "VERY, VERY SERIOUS ISSUE FOR DISNEY"

Earlier on Wednesday, FCC Chair Brendan Carr had urged

local broadcasters to stop airing "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on ABC. He

suggested the commission could open an investigation and that

broadcasters could potentially be fined or lose their licenses

if there was a pattern of distorted comment.

"This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney ( DIS ). We

can do this the easy way or the hard way," Carr said in a

podcast interview with conservative Benny Johnson that aired

Wednesday. "Disney ( DIS ) needs to see some change here, but the

individual licensed stations that are taking their content, it's

time for them to step up and say this, you know, garbage to the

extent that that's what comes down the pipe in the future isn't

something that we think serves the needs of our local

communities."

Carr praised Nexstar. "While this may be an unprecedented

decision, it is important for broadcasters to push back on

Disney ( DIS ) programming that they determine falls short of community

values," he said.

Nexstar, which describes itself as the nation's largest

local television and media company, needs FCC approval for its

$6.2 billion deal to acquire smaller rival Tegna ( TGNA ).

FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, the FCC's only Democratic

commissioner, criticized Carr. "This administration is

increasingly using the weight of government power to suppress

lawful expression," she said.

Democratic lawmakers also criticized the move.

"This is censorship in action. FCC Chair threatens ABC

and Disney ( DIS ) over Kimmel's comments. Hours later, he's off the

air," Senator Ed Markey said in a post on X.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Senator Brian Schatz

of Hawaii also weighed in on X with similar comments. Pritzker

called it "an attack on free speech," while Schatz said, "his

was the govt using regulatory leverage to crush speech."

TRUMP HAS REPEATEDLY SUED AND THREATENED MEDIA COMPANIES

Trump has repeatedly sued, berated and threatened media

companies whose coverage he disputes with legal or other action.

Trump this week filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit

against the New York Times and book publisher Penguin Random

House, accusing them of treating him unfairly.

"Next up will be an even less talented Jimmy Kimmel," Trump

said after Colbert's dismissal.

CBS-parent Paramount paid $16 million in July to resolve a

civil suit over what Trump alleged was the network's deceptive

editing of an interview with presidential candidate Kamala

Harris after ABC in December paid $15 million to settle a

defamation lawsuit filed by Trump over anchor George

Stephanopoulos' on-air description of the president's conduct in

the E. Jean Carroll case.

At the time, CBS parent Paramount Global was the FCC's

approval for a merger with Skydance Media, which was ultimately

granted, forming Paramount Skydance ( PSKY ). The deal was

approved after the Trump suit was settled and after the FCC

under Carr opened a probe into the Harris interview.

Viewership of late-night shows has been on the decline, as

has much of traditional TV, as viewers shift to streaming and

social media. "Jimmy Kimmel Live" averaged 1.57 million viewers

per episode during the broadcast season that ended in May,

according to Nielsen. "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" was

the most-watched late-night show during that time with an

average of 1.9 million viewers.