Politicians, media figures, and free speech organizations have expressed their anger and alarm over the indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show. They believe that critics of Donald Trump are being systematically silenced. ABC announced the suspension after Kimmel made comments about Charlie Kirk’s killing, which led to a group of ABC-affiliated stations refusing to air the show.
Gavin Newsom, the California governor, called the suspension “coordinated” and “dangerous,” stating that the Republican party does not believe in free speech and is censoring people in real time. Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer urged everyone across the political spectrum to speak out against what is happening to Jimmy Kimmel. His colleague, Chris Murphy, suggested that this could be the start of a campaign to use the power of the White House to silence Trump’s critics and political opponents.
In his monologue, Kimmel criticized the MAGA gang for trying to characterize the kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them. Kimmel also accused Trump of fanning the flames by attacking people on the left.
ABC, which has aired Kimmel’s show since 2003, moved quickly after Nextstar Communications Group threatened to pull the show. ABC stated that Kimmel’s comments about Kirk’s death were “offensive and insensitive” during a critical time in national political discourse.
Trump and figures aligned with his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement reacted with glee to the news, with the president calling it “Great News for America.” Trump posted that Kimmel has “ZERO talent.” The president also appeared to encourage NBC to cancel other late-night shows hosted by Jimmy Fallon and Seth Myers.
Earlier, the chair of the US media regulator, Brendan Carr, appeared on a rightwing podcast and threatened to take away ABC’s broadcasting license in response to Kimmel’s comments on suspected Charlie Kirk shooter Tyler Robinson. After ABC’s announcement, a rightwing podcast host boasted that his interview with Carr led to Kimmel’s suspension.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression stated that the timing of ABC’s decision, after Carr’s comments, “tells the whole story.” MSNBC political commentator Chris Hayes called it the most straightforward attack on free speech from state actors he has ever seen. Truth Wins Out, a nonprofit dedicated to exposing extremism, called it a rightwing “Cancel Crusade” that is silencing dissent and intimidating media outlets.
The statement from Truth Wins Out references the wave of firings that have followed Kirk’s death, with companies sacking employees for making insensitive or divisive comments. Efforts to track down, intimidate, and harass people who did not sufficiently mourn the killing of Kirk were endorsed by US Vice President JD Vance. The vice president guest-hosted Kirk’s podcast and urged people to call the employers of those celebrating Charlie’s murder.
Actor Ben Stiller and democratic politician Ro Khanna also expressed their disapproval of Kimmel’s suspension. Kimmel’s suspension comes just weeks after CBS announced it would be canceling Stephen Colbert’s show at the end of the season for financial reasons, although some critics question if his stance on Trump played a role.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/sep/18/jimmy-kimmel-suspension-sparks-shock-fears-for-free-speech-censoring-realtime
