JD Vance Criticizes Kimmel’s Return Monologue

Vice President JD Vance escalated criticism of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel this week, calling for him to apologize to Erika Kirk and conservatives whom he accused of complicity in the killing of Charlie Kirk. The comments came after Kimmel’s return to television following a brief suspension over remarks that drew widespread backlash.

Kimmel’s ABC show was pulled from the air earlier this month after his Sept. 15 monologue on Kirk’s death triggered controversy. In that segment, Kimmel accused Republicans of exploiting the tragedy for political gain and suggested that “the MAGA gang” was trying to paint the shooter as anything other than one of their own.

That framing angered conservative leaders and Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, who warned that the agency could consider regulatory action against the network.

Speaking Thursday on Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle, Vance rejected Kimmel’s explanation that his comments were meant as a joke. “He tries to say that he told a joke. He didn’t tell a joke,” Vance said. “He was actually accusing right-wing America, conservative America, of killing Charlie Kirk. We now know that is false. Charlie Kirk was murdered by a left-wing assassin who was radicalized by some of the rhetoric that we see coming from the far Left.”

Vance argued that Kimmel’s remarks not only mischaracterized the situation but also disrespected those mourning Kirk’s death. “When you accuse the people who’ve been holding prayer vigils, who have been praying about Charlie Kirk, you accuse them of killing Charlie Kirk, when we know it was a left-wing assassin, you’re actually apologizing for his murder. You’re encouraging more of that violence to happen,” he said.

The vice president also tied the debate to a broader concern about political violence. “If we’re going to stop this crazy strain of left-wing violence, we have to be honest about what it is,” Vance said. “The honest truth is that Charlie Kirk was not killed by a MAGA American. He was not killed by a Republican. He was killed by a left-wing radical. Let’s be honest about that fact, so that we can stop it from happening.”

Kirk’s accused killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, surrendered to police and has been charged with aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and several weapons offenses. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said Robinson had grown increasingly political and hostile toward Kirk’s views in recent years. “Clearly there was a lot of gaming going on—friends that have confirmed that there was kind of that deep, dark internet, the Reddit culture, and these other dark places of the internet where this person was going deep,” Cox said in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press.

Despite the controversy, Kimmel’s return to television drew a significant audience. His first monologue back, addressing the suspension and Kirk’s killing, has been viewed more than 21 million times on YouTube and averaged 6.2 million television viewers, according to The New York Times. However, his show continues to face resistance. Nexstar Media and Sinclair Broadcast Group, both of which own ABC affiliates, have preempted the program in several markets.

For Vance, the matter is about accountability. “I would love Jimmy Kimmel to apologize to Erika Kirk and to the people he slandered,” he said, framing the incident as part of what he sees as a larger pattern of dismissing or misrepresenting threats of left-wing violence.

The fallout underscores how Kirk’s killing has become a flashpoint in an already polarized media and political landscape. While Kimmel insists his monologue was satire, conservative leaders argue the consequences of such commentary go beyond comedy. Whether the late-night host issues an apology remains to be seen, but the clash between politics, entertainment, and media responsibility shows no sign of cooling down.

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