Jimmy Kimmel’s Gun Control Monologue Interrupted on WFAA Dallas

Jimmy Kimmel Live
(Image credit: ABC)

Jimmy Kimmel delivered an emotional monologue about the mass shooting at a Texas elementary school May 25 on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and the monologue was interrupted by a commercial break on WFAA Dallas. An emotional Kimmel spoke for close to nine minutes about the murders, and gun control. He singled out Senator Ted Cruz and Texas governor Greg Abbott, among others, for their responsibility in such incidents. 

WFAA is owned by Tegna. The station said, “Unfortunately, the automated system that triggers commercials aired the first commercial break in error, interrupting Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue. The same technical error also impacted two commercial breaks later in the program, not just the one interrupting the monologue.”

WFAA apologized, and offered the full monologue at WFAA.com. The website’s headline read, “Jimmy Kimmel delivers powerful monologue in wake of Uvalde elementary school shooting, lambasting legislators for lack of action.” The story said. “Technical issues prevented the entirety of Kimmel's monologue from airing in full on WFAA.”

Nineteen children and two adults were killed in the mass shooting. 

Early on May 26, Kimmel said on Twitter, “To my friends in Dallas who are asking: I do not know whether our @ABCNetwork affiliate @wfaa cut away from my monologue tonight intentionally or inadvertently but I will find out. In the meantime, here's what you didn't get to see.”

He then offered a link to his monologue on YouTube. 

Moments ago, he tweeted, “I've known the staff at @wfaa personally and professionally for almost 20 years and believe this mistake was made unintentionally. Thanks for reposting and for correcting this error. Sending love to all my friends in Texas.”

WFAA shared a statement on the mishap: "WFAA apologizes for technical difficulties that interrupted Jimmy Kimmel Live at multiple points, including during his monologue on gun control."

In the monologue, Kimmel urged lawmakers who oppose gun control to rethink their position. “It’s OK to admit you made a mistake,” he said. “In fact it’s not just OK, it’s necessary to admit you made a mistake when your mistake is killing the children in your state."

“It takes a big person to do something like that,” Kimmel continued. “It takes a brave person to do something like that.” ■

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Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.