Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been pulled off the air by ABC after longtime host Jimmy Kimmel made controversial remarks about the MAGA response to the alleged Charlie Kirk assassin's motives.

However, it feels like he could be back on the network... eventually.

Kimmel made inflammatory comments on his Tuesday show about MAGA politicians and pundits, as he put it, using the possible motives of the suspected Kirk assassin in part to "score political points." Outcry followed.

After a decision from Nexstar Media Group to remove Kimmel's show from its networks for the immediate future and a seeming threat from FCC chair Brendan Carr to pull ABC's broadcast license for Kimmel's comments, ABC decided to pull Kimmel's program from the air indefinitely on Wednesday evening.

Is this the end of Kimmel's show? Well, not necessarily.

WHAT DID JIMMY KIMMEL SAY? Read his exact words that got his show preempted by ABC

Puck's Matthew Belloni reported on Wednesday evening that an ABC source told him the network had "no plans" to also pull the new run of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which Kimmel hosts. That means Kimmel will still be on ABC for the time being, just not on his late night program.

Our best guess right now? Kimmel will likely determine his fate. Perhaps if he's willing to issue an apology for his comments, he could be back on air within the next month. If he's not willing to express any remorse for his statements, ABC may keep him on the bench until the controversy blows over... if it ever does. It's always possible Kimmel rebuffs ABC's decision and decides to leave the program. His contract with ABC ends in 2026.

Would ABC spike late night programming altogether in that case, like CBS seems to have done after canceling Late Night with Stephen Colbert in July? Would someone replace Kimmel with a new show? A lot is unknown if Kimmel walks.

However, Kimmel has hosted the Academy Awards, an annual ABC flagship, multiple times and is one of the de-facto A-list talents for the network. Backlash with key ABC talent could ensue if Kimmel is canceled, if it's not already courted by the preempting. Since ABC still reportedly wants the Kimmel-hosted Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on the air despite all the fervor for Kimmel's comments, it seems that Disney wants to stay in the Kimmel business despite all the controversy.

While it's possible Disney could ultimately pull the plug on Kimmel's program permanently, just pulling it from the air for the time being hints that Jimmy Kimmel Live! may just be on an indefinite hiatus. At the time of publishing, Kimmel has not commented on ABC's decision. However, we bet we'll hear more from him on all of it soon. We also bet that he'll be back on televisions eventually, hosting his longtime ABC late night program as he once was.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why ABC may not fully cancel 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'

Reporting by Cory Woodroof, For The Win / For The Win

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