Jimmy Kimmel.
Photo: ZZHollywood To You/Vital individual Max/GC Pictures
On September 17, ABC announced that it would be pulling contemporary episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live! “indefinitely” after remarks about Charlie Kirk’s alleged murderer sparked gorgeous-fly rage and feedback from FCC chair Brendan Carr. Kimmel is getting canceled for the setup to a shaggy dog story, not even the punch line. Within the monologue from September 15, Kimmel said, “We hit some contemporary lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately looking out to converse this minute one who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything else rather than unquestionably one of them and doing every little thing they’ll to ranking political parts from it.”
Carr told YouTuber Benny Johnson that he became fervent by pulling ABC’s affiliate licenses due to the Kimmel gave the influence to be taking half in “into the story” that suspected shooter Tyler Robinson became “by some potential a MAGA or Republican-motivated individual,” including, “What folk don’t tag is that the broadcasters … contain a license granted by us at the FCC, and that comes with it an duty to operate in the public passion. When we respect stuff adore this, leer, we are in a position to attain this the easy methodology or the exhausting methodology.” ABC and media company Nexstar it appears to be like decided to grab the easy methodology: Nexstar said it would preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! on its affiliate stations, and quickly thereafter, ABC said it would pull contemporary episodes of the present an explanation for.
President Trump did a victory lap on Fact Social. “Big News for The United States: The rankings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Mark is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for sooner or later having the braveness to attain what wanted to be done. Kimmel has ZERO expertise, and worse rankings than even Colbert, if that’s that it is seemingly you’ll maybe maybe also imagine,” he wrote. “That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two full losers, on Unfounded News NBC. Their rankings are also depraved. Live it NBC!!!”
On the knowledgeable-Kimmel facet, Hollywood unions WGA and SAG-AFTRA (every of which Kimmel is a member of) issued statements criticizing the choice to pull his present an explanation for, as did the union that represents his present an explanation for’s band. California senator Adam Schiff and California governor Gavin Newsom were amongst the politicians who decried Carr’s remarks and ABC’s decision to grab Kimmel off the air, whereas a couple of actors, writer, and comedians — including Conan O’Brien, David Letterman, Pedro Pascal, Damon Lindelof, and Tim Heidecker — contain also attain to Kimmel’s defense. Even light CEO of Disney, Michael Eisner, imply an announcement calling out his aged company’s actions.
Emmy-winning Andor writer Dan Gilroy penned an op-ed for Deadline in make stronger of Kimmel whereas also saving some empathy for his Disney bosses. “Many folk seen parallels between Andor and the say world. I respect them as effectively, in particular in the occasions of the closing week,” he wrote. Admire Vulture’s Josef Adalian, Gilroy believes Disney’s suspension of Kimmel became a approach to aquire time and someway assign the present an explanation for on the air. “Disney now stands at a crossroads: cessation Kimmel’s contract and switch out to be pavement for the avenue to a courageous contemporary Trumpian world; or stand for the First Amendment and snatch the onslaught,” he wrote. “There’s not noteworthy at stake, valid free speech, the oxygen that sustains existence on this city.”
Notoriously apolitical Tonight Mark host Jay Leno has spoken out on behalf of Jimmy Kimmel. The Hollywood Reporter got his remarks at Chris Wallace’s Hollywood Stroll of Reputation ceremony. “I’m on Jimmy Kimmel’s facet on that one,” he said. “All these objects happen the final time. You don’t acquire canceled (for) asserting standard things. On the final it’s the true fact that winds up getting canceled, so we’ll respect what occurs.” He added “It’s a comic talking; in case you don’t like it, don’t see it.”
This is counter to what Leno has been asserting not too long ago, namely, that lat evening has gotten too political. “Successfully, why shoot for valid half an target market the final time? You know, why not strive to acquire the final?” he said in July. “I mean, I adore to bring folk into the big describe. I don’t tag why that you can alienate one explicit community, you know, or valid don’t attain it the least bit. I’m not asserting it is advisable to throw your make stronger or irrespective of, but valid attain what’s funny.”
The light CEO of the Walt Disney Company came for Bob Iger in a tweet September 19. “Where has the final management gone? If not for varsity presidents, guidelines firm managing partners, and company chief executives standing up against bullies, who then will step up for the principle modification?” he wrote. Eisner — who obtained ABC for Disney for the length of his tenure — called FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s threats against the network “aggressive but hollow,” and basically the most trendy in a series of intimidation tactics by this administration. “Presumably the Constitution must serene contain said, ‘Congress shall acquire no guidelines abridging the liberty of speech, or of the press, except in a single’s political or financial self-passion,’” he wrote. “By-the-methodology, for the story, this ex-CEO finds Jimmy Kimmel very proficient and funny.”
By his Team Coco socials, O’Brien set up out an announcement in make stronger of Kimmel, asserting that the FCC and Trump’s actions “must serene disturb all and sundry on the Resplendent, Left, and Heart. It’s depraved and anyone with a sense of right and unsuitable is conscious of it’s depraved.”
Kimmel’s tedious-evening chums reacted to the records of his suspension on their respective reveals, every discovering solutions to crack jokes about free speech and Donald Trump’s tolerance for criticism. Bigger than unquestionably one of them did so by tune: “Oh, Donald / We pledge to thee our observe from basically the most up to this point nation in the arena,” Stewart sang, whereas Colbert channeled Lumière in a parody of “Be Our Customer” that contains lyrics adore “Don’t insult our mountainous dictator or he’ll hit you with this turd.” Scrutinize every of their segments in fat right here.
Maslany, the lead of Disney+’s She-Hulk, shared a call on her Instagram List for oldsters to homicide their Disney+ subscriptions.
Tatiana Maslany has urged her followers to homicide their Disney subscriptions after the studio suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s present an explanation for. pic.twitter.com/URfe8RNJVK
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 18, 2025
The Transparent big title equipped photo evidence that she has gash ties by posting a screenshot confirming that she has canceled her Disney+ subscription and tagging the corporate in the caption.
The Fonz shared a selfie with Kimmel and praised his work and personality, tweeting that the tedious-evening host’s insights are “crucial to maintain exhibiting us who we’re.”
@jimmykimmel his humor, his insights are crucial to maintain exhibiting us who we’re . AND he is a most good fellow
— Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) September 18, 2025
Aged tedious-evening host Letterman explained that he feared what precedent this suspension could maybe also put for the long lag. “I basically feel corrupt about this due to the we respect where right here is all going, simply?” he shared. “It’s managed media. And it’s no valid. It’s foolish. It’s ridiculous. And also it is seemingly you’ll maybe maybe also’t crawl spherical firing anyone due to the you’re tremulous or looking out to suck up to an authoritarian felony administration in the Oval Space of enterprise. That’s valid not how this works.”
Pascal shared a photograph with him and Kimmel, writing in the caption, “Standing with you @jimmykimmellive Protect #FreeSpeech Protect #DEMOCRACY” He also added statements from the WGA, SAG-AFTRA, a put up from writer Marina Rust that claims “None of right here is common,” some statistics about political violence, and a message from the Human Rights Campaign declaring “This is what fascism appears to be like to be adore” on Instagram Stories.
The creator of Misplaced promised to cease working with Disney till Kimmel’s present an explanation for comes assist. “I became disquieted, saddened and infuriated by the day earlier than at the present time’s suspension and leer ahead to it being lifted soon. If it isn’t, I will be capable to’t in valid sense of right and unsuitable work for the corporate that imposed it,” Lindelof wrote on Instagram on September 18.
On the red carpet, the comic expressed his worries about censorship. “It’s occurring in a short time and we’re seeing the results of electing a fascist and residing, what it feels adore, beneath a fascist regime… It’s fully command sponsored censorship,” he shared with THR.
The light president criticized basically the most trendy administration in a recent put up on X: “After years of complaining about homicide culture, basically the most trendy administration has taken it to a recent and unsafe stage by routinely threatening regulatory movement against media companies except they muzzle or fire journalists and commentators it doesn’t adore.”
The writers union criticized every the authorities and the network in its statement. “The gorgeous to say our minds and to disagree with every other — to disturb, even — is at the very coronary heart of what it methodology to be a free folk. It’s now to not be denied. No longer by violence, not by the abuse of governmental energy, nor by acts of company cowardice,” the statement from the WGA reads. “Disgrace on these in authorities who disregard this founding fact. As for our employers, our words contain made you rich. Silencing us impoverishes the final world. The WGA stands with Jimmy Kimmel and his writers.”
The actors union condemned the suspension of Kimmel’s present an explanation for. “Our society is dependent on freedom of expression,” SAG-AFTRA said in an announcement. “Suppression of free speech and retaliation for talking out on most important concerns of public discipline lag counter to the elemental rights all of us count on. Democracy prospers when diverse parts of tag are expressed. The choice to hunch airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! is the form of suppression and retaliation that endangers all and sundry’s freedoms. SAG-AFTRA stands with all media artists and defends their gorgeous to explicit their diverse parts of tag, and all and sundry’s gorgeous to hear them.”
“This shouldn’t be delicate,” the AFM, which represents Kimmel’s band, wrote in an announcement. “Trump’s FCC identified speech it did not adore and threatened ABC with impolite reprisals. This is command censorship.”
Stiller became concise, reposting a story from The Wall Avenue Journal’s Joe Flint and captioning it, “This isn’t gorgeous.”
“This is authorities censorship,” Maron said in an Instagram video captioned with a call for oldsters to prepare and peacefully assign at bay. “Within the occasion that they’ll attain for Kimmel, they’ll attain for anyone,” he said.
Birbiglia posted a call to movement addressed to “all comedians,” arguing that if they don’t say out relating to the “insanity” of the choice to pull Kimmel’s present an explanation for, they shouldn’t bother “spouting off about free speech anymore.”
Sykes, who became scheduled to customer on Jimmy Kimmel Live! the evening it became pulled, said in an Instagram video explaining that her excellent friend’s present an explanation for had been pulled “thanks to complaints from the Trump administration.” Sykes mirrored that the president managed to “conclude freedom of speech within his first year” and ended her video by asserting, “For these of you who pray, now’s the time to attain it. Cherish you, Jimmy.”
O’Donnell declared that “the United States isn’t any more,” sharing a photograph of Kimmel on Instagram alongside a caption that criticized a “fascist administration and unfavorable company executives” for “bowing” to Trump.
The Hacks big title said she became “skittish” at the records that Kimmel’s present an explanation for shall be pulled, arguing in an Instagram put up that his feedback constitute “FREE speech, not hate speech.”
Hayes focused basically on Carr’s remarks, laying blame for Kimmel’s enforced hiatus at “command actors.” He tweeted, “This is mainly the most easy attack on free speech from command actors I’ve ever considered in my existence and it’s not even shut.”
Newsom perceived to hyperlink Kimmel going off the air to The Late Mark With Stephen Colbert’s cancellation, to boot to with the firing of MSNBC commentator Matthew Dowd and Trump pals taking assign an eye fixed on of TikTok. “Wanting for and controlling media platforms. Firing commentators. Canceling reveals. These aren’t coincidences,” he wrote. “It’s coordinated. And it’s unsafe. The @GOP does not teach in free speech. They are censoring you in right time.”
The California senator also in contrast what’s occurring to Kimmel with what’s already came about to Colbert. He talked about Trump’s court cases against the Contemporary York Times, The Wall Avenue Journal, and 60 Minutes. “This administration is accountable for basically the obvious assaults on the free press in American ancient previous,” Schiff wrote. “What shall be left of the First Amendment when he’s done?”
Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker called Kimmel’s cancellation “an attack off free speech” on Bluesky. He urged elected officials to say up in defense of the First Amendment: “A free and democratic society can’t silence comedians for the rationale that President doesn’t adore what they issue. This is an attack on free speech and can’t be allowed to face.”
Oates came to Kimmel’s defense despite not being a tedious-evening enjoyer. “As one who avoids nearly all tedious-evening comics & has by no methodology considered Jimmy Kimmell (sic) or his competitors serene it appears to be like unhappy that anyone is so with out discover fired for anything else he says then all over again awkward or depraved,” she wrote. “Vital of humor is edgy, surreal, exaggerated, & can’t be truth-checked. if a shaggy dog story is in unhappy taste or falls flat the target market’s silence is punishment ample for the comic.”
Speaking from expertise, Griffin said it became imperative Kimmel contain make stronger on this second. “Please, snatch it from me, it is most most important to contain Jimmy Kimmel‘s assist gorgeous now,” she wrote on Bluesky. “Be vocal. Be an ideological client. Cash is all their crowd cares about.”
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