The hosts of “The View” did not weigh in on ABC’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show following comments the host made about Charlie Kirk’s death, surprising some viewers.
On Thursday’s broadcast of “The View,” which airs on the same network as “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, and Alyssa Farah Griffin discussed two news events during its “Hot Topics” segment: FBI director Kash Patel’s handling of the Epstein Files, and RFK Jr. testifying before the CDC.
They also discussed whether breakups can lead to long-term relationships, and conducted two interviews — the first with Eugene Levy and the second with Terry and Tammy Bradshaw.
The show’s hosts notably did not discuss Kimmel’s suspension in its “Hot Topics” segment or at any other point during the show.
The notable lack of discussion on Kimmel’s suspension came before FCC Chairman Brendan Carr appeared on The Scott Jennings Radio Show on Thursday afternoon. During the appearance, Carr suggested that he may look into “The View” for possible violations of the FCC’s equal opportunities rule.
The rule, established by Section 315(a) of the Communications Act of 1934, states that broadcasters must provide equal broadcast opportunities to all candidates for public office in the event that the broadcaster permits a candidate for public office to use their station.
“There’s an exception to that rule called the bona fide news exception, which means if you are a bona fide news program, you don’t have to abide by the equal opportunity rule,” Carr told Jennings.
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He added: “And over the years, the FCC has developed a body of case law on that and has suggested that most of these late-night shows, other than ‘SNL,’ are bona fide news programs. And potentially I would assume you can make the argument that ‘The View’ is a bona fide news show, but I’m not so sure about that, and I think it’s worthwhile to have the FCC look into whether ‘The View’ and some of the programs that you have still qualify as bona fide news programs and therefore exempt from the equal opportunity regime that Congress has put in place.”
If the FCC determines “The View” is not exempt under the broadcasting rules, ABC — which broadcasts the show — could face fines, a cease-and-desist order, or have its broadcast license revoked.
‘The View’ watchers expressed surprise over the “Hot Topic” table skipping Kimmel
On social media, fans of the show expressed surprise at the omission, as “The View” is known for tackling heavy and controversial news events.
“Is The View just going to pretend the Jimmy Kimmel stuff isn’t happening?” one person wrote on X.
Many also said they were disappointed in the show’s hosts for not sharing their thoughts, as hosts including Goldberg and Hostin have regularly urged figures with large platforms to speak out on pressing issues. Some even speculated that the show’s cast was urged not to speak about Kimmel or his show.
Representatives for “The View” and ABC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
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Why Kimmel was yanked off the air
ABC suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Wednesday after a segment on Charlie Kirk’s death prompted threats from FCC chair Brendan Carr.
On Monday’s episode of the late-night show, Kimmel lambasted President Donald Trump and “the MAGA gang” for “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.”
On Wednesday, Carr called Kimmel’s comments “the sickest conduct possible” and threatened ABC in an interview with right-wing political commentator and YouTuber Benny Johnson, saying that “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
Hours later, Nexstar, a company that owns ABC affiliates and is awaiting FCC approval for a $6.2 billion acquisition deal, announced that it would pull Kimmel’s show from its stations.
An ABC spokesperson also confirmed to Business Insider that the network had suspended Kimmel’s late-night show “indefinitely.”
While the current hosts of “The View” didn’t address the network’s decision, former host Rosie O’Donnell was among numerous celebrities who expressed support for Kimmel, calling his suspension “unacceptable.”