JD Vance announces 'new ABC late night host' after Jimmy Kimmel exit

US Vice President JD Vance has declared via X, formerly Twitter, that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will assume hosting duties following Jimmy Kimmel's dismissal from ABC.

Whilst the network has yet to officially confirm the announcement, Vance made the revelation on Thursday morning, merely one day after the comedian's long-running late-night programme Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suddenly axed by the broadcaster. Jimmy's show faced cancellation after referencing Charlie Kirk during his opening monologue earlier this week.

In a startling development, the VP declared, "Everyone please congratulate @marcorubio, the new host of ABC's late-night show!".

ABC, which falls under Disney's ownership, terminated Jimmy Kimmel Live! following his remarks about the right-wing podcaster's death, specifically regarding his suspected killer, and for ridiculing Trump's frosty reaction to enquiries about his associate's demise, reports the Irish Star.

Charlie Kirk, who presented the podcast Turning Point, was attending the inaugural stop of The American Comeback Tour at Utah Valley University when he sustained a gunshot wound to the neck from what officials suspect was a high-powered rifle. The speaker succumbed to his injuries and has become a martyr for the Republican Party.

Jimmy declared, "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."

He continued, "In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.

"On Friday, the White House flew the flags at half staff, which drew some criticism, but on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this," he continued, cutting to a clip of Trump being interviewed by the press on the White House lawn talking about the new ballroom when asked about how he was holding up after his friend's death.

"Yes, he's at the fourth stage of grief: construction. This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish, okay? And it didn't just happen once," Jimmy said, before showing another clip of the president on Fox News talking about the ballroom when asked about how he heard the news of Charlie's death.

The host went on to ask, "Why are we building a $200 million ballroom in the White House? Is it possible that he's doing it intentionally so we can be mad about that instead of the Epstein list?" His abrupt sacking has left the nation shaken over concerns for free speech.

Marco Rubio has no prior television hosting experience, save for appearing on Fox News and other networks as a guest correspondent. Besides the Vice President's post, which very well may be a joke, it has not been confirmed that the politician will be hosting his own show on ABC.

Some affiliate stations plan to air a Charlie Kirk memorial in lieu of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Friday during his usual time slot.