Welcome to the Cancel Culture Club

It's the chat kings and queens who talked themselves out of a job on air

- BY SEAN MURPHY

WHEN Jimmy Kimmel's show got controversially cancelled in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk assassination, he became the latest in a long list of outspoken broadcasters to get axed.

Popular Kimmel caused controversy when he said on September 16: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterise this kid, who murdered Charlie Kirk, as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

ABC quickly cancelled the show - which sparked accusations of censorship and US government interference under President Donald Trump.

Fans celebrated when ABC announced a week later that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would return, and he was back on air on Tuesday.

And it's not the first time a high-profile presenter has been censured and even booted off their own show.

In 1982, American shock jock Howard Stern started an afternoon show on WNBC but was warned to avoid sexual or religious topics.

But he was taken off air in his first month for a video game sketch called Virgin Mary Kong, whereby a group of men chased the Virgin Mary around a bar in Jerusalem.

SUPPORT

Stern this week welcomed his friend’s TV return after last week announcing that he would cancel his Disney+ subscription in support of Kimmel because of the streamer’s connection to ABC.