Lost creator Damon Lindelof has pledged not to work with ABC while Jimmy Kimmel is suspended from the station.

On September 17th, ABC announced Kimmel would be off-air for the foreseeable future following his remarks about the reaction to the death of Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk from Donald Trump and the wider Make America Great Again movement.

On September 15th’s edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the comedian said of the response from Donald Trump supporters to Kirk’s passing: “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.”

Kimmel also condemned Trump’s personal reaction to Kirk’s death, saying, “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”

These comments led to a backlash from Nexstar Media, the Sinclair Group, and the FCC before ABC announced the suspension of Kimmel.

While Kimmel has received support from fellow late-night hosts such as Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon, as well as Jimmy Fallon, Trump said he has “zero talent” and blamed the suspension on the programme’s ratings rather than intervention..

Now, Lindelof, whose programme Lost was a huge success on ABC, has stated he won’t work with the broadcaster while Kimmel is off the airwaves. He began by discussing their friendship which began when Lindelof first moved to Los Angeles, before adding, “In the twenty years since, I’ve gotten to know Jimmy and if you know Jimmy, you know his incredible wife and head writer, Molly, who is not just his better half but his better three quarters. You also know he is caring and empathic and grateful.”

The screenwriter said of Kimmel as a person, “You know he loves his country. You know he appreciates a good roast and he can take as good as he gives. You know he supported his crew through multiple strikes and you know he is generous and philanthropic and most of all, you know that he is kind.”

Lindelof then touched on the decision to suspend Kimmel by ABC, “I was shocked, saddened and infuriated by yesterday’s suspension and look forward to it being lifted soon. If it isn’t, I can’t in good conscience work for the company that imposed it.”

He continued, “If you’re about to fire up in my comments, just ask yourself if you know the difference between hate speech and a joke. I think you still do. And Jimmy? You’ve ALWAYS known what you were doing. Love you and support you.”

As it stands, Kimmel has yet to comment on the situation, and it is unclear when or if Jimmy Kimmel Live will return to ABC.