- Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been pulled off the air by ABC after the FCC Chair threatened legal action.
- Jimmy Kimmel appears to be the second late night host to be targeted by the Trump administration.
- Barack Obama, Jean Smart, and Gavin Newsom respond.
On Wednesday, Sept. 17, less than two months after the abrupt cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, ABC announced it would be pulling Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air “indefinitely” after receiving pressure from the FCC (the Federal Communications Commission).
Jimmy himself has yet to comment publicly, but, based on the celebrity reactions to Jimmy’s suspension, when he does say something, he’ll have a lot of support behind him.
Barack Obama calls Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension “dangerous.”
The former president weighed in on Twitter, sharing an op-ed from Vox on Jimmy and writing, “After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.”
He continued in a follow-up tweet: “This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent—and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it.”
Other politicians, including Hakeem Jeffries, Elizabeth Warren, Gavin Newsom, and Jasmine Crockett, expressed similar sentiments.
Jean Smart, Mike Birbiglia, Maren Morris, and other celebrities speak out.
In addition to support from politicians, Jimmy is also receiving love from celebrities and fellow comedians. Jean Smart shared a photo from one of her appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and wrote in part, “What Jimmy said was FREE speech, not hate speech. People seem to only want to protect free speech when it suits THEIR agenda.”
Mike Birbiglia, meanwhile, called on his fellow comedians to “call out the insanity of pulling Kimmel off the air.” Wanda Sykes made an Instagram video saying in part, “[Donald Trump] didn’t end the Ukraine war or solve Gaza within his first week, but he did end freedom of speech within his first year. Hey, for those of you who pray, now’s the time to do it.”
Country singer Maren Morris also defended Jimmy on Instagram, sharing some clips from the time she guest-hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Henry Winkler, Meghann Fahy, Sophia Bush, and Ben Stiller, among others expressed their dismay on Twitter. And during an appearance on Today, Jason Bateman called the suspension “troubling to say the least.”
The Unions have also spoken out in support of Jimmy Kimmel.
SAG-AFTRA, the Writers Guild of America, and the American Federation of Musicians, which represents musicians in Jimmy Kimmel’s band, also put out statements. The American Federation of Musicians President Tino Gagliardi called the suspension “state censorship,” saying, “This act by the Trump Administration represents a direct attack on free speech and artistic expression.”
Why is Jimmy Kimmel Live! being pulled off the air?
While it’s no secret that Jimmy Kimmel and other late night hosts have been targets of the administration for a while, this shocking news stems from Jimmy’s mention of Charlie Kirk in Monday night’s monologue. “The MAGA gang [is] 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 said.
His statement incensed FCC Chairman Brendan Carr—a man appointed to the position by Trump—and many on the right, who claimed that Jimmy’s comments were disrespectful to Kirk. Carr gave interviews threatening the comedian and his public displeasure with the statements reportedly led Nexstar Media Group Inc., which owns 32 ABC affiliate channels (which broadcast Jimmy Kimmel Live!), to stop airing the late night show, which then led to ABC’s decision to pull it entirely. Nexstar is reportedly in the process of a major merger, which will require FCC approval.
Trump is declaring Kimmel’s effective suspension a win, calling it “great news for America” in a post on Truth Social. He also made clear that he intends to target Jimmy Fallon, host of The Tonight Show, and Seth Meyers of Late Night next, writing, “That leaves Jimmy ad Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!”
