Who is Perry Sook? Megyn Kelly praises media mogul tied to "canceling Jimmy Kimmel" after late-night host’s comments on Charlie Kirk’s assassination

Political commentator Megyn Kelly, who supported the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show, has now reacted to a post about Perry Sook, who many alleged was responsible for the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Perry Sook is the founder of Nexstar Media Group and currently serves as the company’s chairman and CEO.

On September 17, Disney subsidiary ABC said it was pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air. The decision came after Nexstar Media Group announced that it would preempt Kimmel's show on its ABC affiliates. As per Fox Business, Nexstar owns 32 ABC affiliate stations.

In the aftermath of the show's suspension, many people blamed Perry Sook on the internet for the suspension of Kimmel's show. Influencer Ed Krassenstein also shared a post on his X account in which he posted Perry Sook's photo and wrote that he was "responsible for canceling Jimmy Kimmel." While sharing a phone number, Krassenstein wrote, "Be sure to let him know how you feel."

On September 18, Megyn Kelly took a swipe at this post and wrote,

"Oh we will. We’ll tell him how proud we are of him."

During the September 15 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel seemingly linked Charlie Kirk's murder suspect to Donald Trump's "MAGA." He said,

"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."

Megyn Kelly slammed Jimmy Kimmel for his remarks about Charlie Kirk's murder suspect

Jimmy Kimmel's remarks during the Monday episode drew backlash online from many users, including Megyn Kelly. On September 17, Megyn Kelly slammed the late-night host in a long X post. While contesting Kimmel's comment about Kirk's murder suspect's ideological affiliations, Kelly wrote,

"I have zero doubt ABC was overwhelmed with absolutely furious calls/comments/emails from truly-FED UP viewers, and knew it had crossed a deadly serious line. In short, GOOD RIDDANCE."

In her X post, she said that Kimmel's remarks were an "intentional" attempt to "gin up hatred" toward the "very group" most affected by Kirk's death. She added that Kimmel had done it "willfully and even gleefully." In her tweet, Megyn Kelly took aim at "left" and said,

"What the Left doesn’t seem to understand and needs to hear is that MAGA has f&cking HAD IT. We are ANGRY. We are INCENSED watching the L smear us, our ppl, literally getting some of our friends killed."

What did Nexstar Media comment on Jimmy Kimmel's remarks?

On Wednesday, Nexstar released a press note announcing that its ABC affiliates would preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! "indefinitely" starting from the September 17 episode. In the press release, Nexstar stated that it strongly objected to recent comments made by Kimmel "concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk." The broadcasting company added that it would "replace" the show with another TV program.

President of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, Andrew Alford's statement was also included in the press release, which read:

“Mr. Kimmel’s comments about the death of Mr. Kirk are offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse... Continuing to give Mr. Kimmel a broadcast platform in the communities we serve is simply not in the public interest at the current time, and we have made the difficult decision to preempt his show in an effort to let cooler heads prevail."

Nexstar Media's statement came after the Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, demanded action against Kimmel during his interview with Benny Johnson on September 17.

About the author

Anuj Singh Kushwaha is a podcast writer at Sportskeeda. He has a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Master’s Degree in History. While preparing for civil services, he started actively engaging in news analysis, beginning to write blogs on technology, finance, and lifestyle as a side gig.

In his pieces, he strives to maintain accuracy and clarity, ensuring relevance and avoiding sensationalism. Prior to joining Sportskeeda, he gained valuable experience at PenDown Writing Services.

A passionate foodie, he enjoys writing on diverse flavors and culinary cultures. He finds the opportunity to share exciting gastronomic trends rewarding, and enjoys connecting people through their shared love for food. In his personal time, he plays virtual chess with friends, and likes to browse a range of videos across YouTube.

Anuj also enjoys taking evening strolls and relishing the local street food. His favorite actor is Keanu Reeves, whom he admires for his humility and generosity, as well as his acting skills in films such as The Matrix and John Wick.

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Edited by Anuj Singh Kushwaha