Kimmel was briefly suspended following comments made surrounding Kirk’s death
One of the biggest stories following the death of far-right political commentator Charlie Kirk was the suspension of late night host Jimmy Kimmel, and while he returned to TV screens just days later, one key individual hasn’t accepted his apologies.
There was a clear crackdown from the political right against any disparaging opinions of Kirk following his death, with both JD Vance and Attorney General Pam Bondi threatening action against people engaging in what they deemed to be ‘hate speech’.
Among the most significant names to be affected by this backlash was Jimmy Kimmel, who was suspended by Disney-owned ABC for comments he made about the Republican Party’s response to Kirk’s death, before being reinstated just under a week later.
He still faced opposition from Sinclair Inc., who pay ABC to run Kimmel’s show on location TV stations across the nation, as the company continued its boycott, demanding that the host not only issue an apology, but also offer a ‘meaningful personal donation’ to both the Kirk family and Turning Point USA.
Jimmy Kimmel was suspended for his comments surrounding Kirk, and has since not apologized (Earl Gibson III/Deadline via Getty Images)
Kimmel did express a regretful tone during his returning monologue, but crucially did not offer an apology for his actions, and Charlie Kirk’s wife Erika has now revealed that she wouldn’t have accepted it regardless.
The late show host outlined that he has “no illusions about changing anyone’s mind, but I do want to make something clear, because it’s important to me as a human and that is, you understand it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man,” adding that he doesn’t “think there’s anything funny about it.”
Speaking to Fox News in a new interview, Kirk outlined that while she was offered the opportunity to receive an apology, she rejected the chance for personal reasons.
“[Sinclair Broadcasting] asked, ‘Do you want Jimmy to give you an apology? Do you want to be on a show? How can we make it right?’,” Kirk recalled, adding that “through our team, I responded, ‘Tell them thank you, we received their note. This is not our issue, not our mess.
Erika Kirk has rejected any apology Kimmel might have offered, saying that she ‘doesn’t need it’ (Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images)
“If you want to say I’m sorry to someone who’s grieving, go right ahead. But if that’s not in your heart, don’t do it. I don’t want it. I don’t need it.”
Kirk has since taken over her late husband’s roles at Turning Point USA, becoming both the CEO and chair of the board, and has received emotional support from a number of key political figures like Vice President JD Vance, who she shared an intimate embrace with last week.Featured Image Credit: Fox News
Published 11:17 5 Nov 2025 GMT
What Erika Kirk allegedly said to JD Vance during viral hug according to a lip reader
A professional lip reader has weighed in
Social media has honed in one on particularly intimate moment shared between Erika Kirk and Vice President JD Vance at a recent Turning Point USA event, and a professional lip reader has offered their assessment of what was said during that embrace.
Erika Kirk has taken the spotlight somewhat after her husband, Charlie Kirk, was fatally shot at Utah Valley University while on his ‘American Comeback’ tour in September, with 22-year-old Tyler Robinson arrested and charged with the murder.
She has since taken over Turning Point USA in his stead, becoming the CEO and chair of the board at the company that he co-founded, and has made a number of public statements including what she told her children after the far-right commentator’s death, and whether the trial will be broadcast to the public.
However, one particular moment that appears to have captured the attention of social media at large is an emotional embrace with JD Vance, as the vice president was a guest of honor at a recent Turning Point USA event.
JD Vance was the guest of honor at a recent Turning Point USA event hosted by Erika Kirk (Jonathan Ernst/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
While it’s certainly normal for Vance to offer his support to Kirk considering their closeness before her husband’s death, it is the manner of the interaction that has caused people to question whether there is something else going on.
Not only did the embrace last longer than many expected, but Vance appeared to place his hands on Erika’s hips, with her running her fingers through his hair in response.
Additionally, Kirk also claimed that while “no one will ever replace my husband,” she does “see some similarities of my husband in JD [Vance].”
Kirk has since responded to the claims that her relationship with Vance – who is married to lawyer Usha Chilukuri with three children – is something more than friendship, debunking the theories and claiming that she “didn’t sign up for anything. I just married the love of my life.”
Many have questioned whether there’s a greater meaning behind Kirk and Vance’s intimate embrace (Brad Vest/Getty Images)
As reported by Tyla, professional lip reader Nicola Hickling revealed to the Mirror USA what she believes to be the words Erika Kirk and JD Vance allegedly shared with each other, and it gives a greater context to their mysterious embrace.
Kirk is supposedly seen telling her assistant: “I can’t do this, I don’t want to do it. Give me a second,” before stepping out onto the platform to give her speech, welcoming JD Vance to the stage.
During their embrace, Hickling believes that Vance told Kirk that he is “so proud of you,” to which she responded: “It’s not gonna bring him back.”
While it might not be the juicy words that some were expecting, it’s likely still not enough to extinguish the flames of speculation that many still hold surrounding their relationship, as social media theories will only continue to brew.Featured Image Credit: Brad Vest / Stringer via Getty
Published 14:06 19 Sep 2025 GMT+1
Jimmy Fallon breaks silence with brutal monologue following Jimmy Kimmel cancellation over Charlie Kirk comments
Kimmel’s late night colleague has come to his aid
Jimmy Fallon has offered solidarity to his late night show colleague after Jimmy Kimmel was put on ‘indefinite’ suspension by ABC following comments that he made regarding Charlie Kirk’s death.
Cancel culture has been rife in the week following the death of far-right commentator Charlie Kirk, with numerous government officials and high profile figures calling for action against anyone who doesn’t say or do the right thing.
Vice President JD Vance hopped onto Kirk’s podcast on Monday as a guest host and urged people to ‘call the employers’ of anyone caught ‘celebrating’ Kirk’s death, and Attorney General Pam Bondi has threatened legal action against what she deems to be ‘hate’ speech.
That certainly hasn’t stopped people from expressing their feelings about Kirk as a person when he was alive, including one notable Hollywood actor who issued a three-word statement on Instagram.
Jimmy Kimmel has been put on ‘indefinite’ suspension after comments he made surrounding Charlie Kirk (Randy Holmes/Disney via Getty Images)
One action that has registered the loudest though came on Thursday, when Disney-owned ABC officially suspended late show host Jimmy Kimmel following pressure from the FCC in reference to comments made surrounding Charlie Kirk.
The full transcript of what Kimmel actually said has been revealed, and the reaction following his apparent cancellation has been significant, with comedians, actors, and even former president Barack Obama criticizing the decision.
A particularly notable voice that has also broken his silence is Jimmy Fallon, who addressed the controversy in his show’s latest episode.
What did Jimmy Fallon say?
As shared by DiscussingFilm on X, Fallon specifically addressed Kimmel’s indefinite suspension in his show’s opening monologue, saying that while he ‘didn’t know what’s going on’, he does know that Kimmel is a “decent, funny, and loving guy.”
Jimmy Fallon reacts to ABC suspending Jimmy Kimmel’s show: “A lot of people are worried that we won’t keep saying what we want to say, or that we’ll be censored, but I’m going to cover the President’s trip to the UK, just like I normally would”
Fallon tackled concerns that he would shy away from covering politics in fear of cancellation by stating:
“A lot of people are worried that we won’t keep saying what we want to say, or that we’ll be censored, but I’m going to cover the president’s trip to the UK, just like I normally would.”
Fallon then ran though Trump‘s trip to the UK, jokingly dubbing over any areas that he might criticize the president with a voice that offered only positive comments as if it had been edited to avoid criticism from the current administration.
According to the voice, Trump looked ‘incredibly handsome’, his face looked ‘like a color that exists in nature’, and his hair looked ‘better than Conrad’s from The Summer I Turned Pretty’.
He also attempted to discuss projections of an image of Trump and Jeffrey Epstein upon the side of Windsor Castle, but the voice changed the ‘Epstein’ part to ‘Goldblum’.
