The View’s panelists did not address the indefinite hiatus of Jimmy Kimmel Live! in the talk show’s first episode following the announcement that Kimmel is being pulled from ABC’s schedule.

The ABC talk show did not address the indefinite hiatus of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ during its Sept. 18 episode

‘The View’; Jimmy Kimmel.Credit : ABC/Hulu; Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty

The View’s panelists did not address the indefinite hiatus of Jimmy Kimmel Live! in the talk show’s first episode following the announcement that Kimmel is being pulled from ABC’s schedule.

On Thursday, Sept. 18, The View‘s co-hosts kicked off their first episode since the Wednesday announcement that Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show (which airs on the same network) was pulled. The move was made after Kimmel, 57, made comments about the death of right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirk.

Panelists Whoopi Goldberg, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, Joy Behar and Alyssa Farah Griffin did not discuss the Kimmel news during their Thursday episode, instead beginning the show with a tribute to Haines in honor of her 48th birthday.

“Welcome to The View,” Goldberg said at the beginning of the episode. “But before we do anything, it’s Sara’s birthday!”

Before discussing their first topic, which centered on FBI Director Kash Patel testifying before the House Judiciary Committee, Goldberg opened with “let’s tell you what’s been going on.”

‘The View’ panelists appear on the Thursday, Sept. 18 episode.ABC/Hulu

Beyond the birthday news and Patel, the day’s slate of topics also included Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Centers for Disease Control, Eugene Levy’s new show The Reluctant Traveler (featuring an interview with the Schitt’s Creek alum) and Terry Bradshaw and wife Tammy’s new cookbook.

The panelists ended the episode by discussing cookies they presented for Haines’ birthday, as Goldberg told viewers she’d “see you tomorrow” before things wrapped.

Noticeably absent from the discussion was acknowledgment of Kimmel’s late-night pull — which sparked reactions from politicians, comedians, actors and others in the entertainment industry after the news broke Wednesday evening.

Elsewhere on the network, Good Morning America — the other daytime series produced by ABC News — did mention the news of Kimmel’s pull but did not provide commentary.

Under The View‘s latest Instagram post, which was a birthday tribute to Haines, viewers urged the panelists to discuss the Kimmel news, with others accusing the network of being “compromised.”

Jimmy Kimmel on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’.Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty

“Why was there no mention of Jimmy Kimmel today? Did I miss it,” one viewer asked. “I’ll be pissed if they did not mention him!”

On Monday, Sept. 15, Kimmel shared the following statement during a broadcast: “The MAGA Gang (is) 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. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”

Nexstar Media, the largest local broadcast and digital media company in the U.S, shared in a statement that it “strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.”

The company recently announced plans to acquire rival broadcast company Tegna for $6.2 billion, putting Nexstar in 80% of America’s TV-owning households, per a press release. The acquisition will require final approval from the Trump-controlled Federal Communications Commission.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr praised Nexstar on Wednesday on pressuring ABC to remove Kimmel, writing on X that “it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community values.”

Wanda Sykes, comedian Mike Birbiglia, Ben Stiller and more voiced their disagreement with the move on social media on Wednesday, while former president Barack Obama was among the politicians to share their thoughts the following day.

“After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like,” Obama wrote on X. “This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it.”

Trump celebrated ABC indefinitely pulling Kimmel shortly after the news broke, calling it “great news for America” and also taking aim at fellow late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Seth Myers in his reaction.

“That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Kimmel has not addressed the decision as of Thursday morning. The talk show was replaced in the ABC schedule on Wednesday night by a taping of Celebrity Family Feud.