{"id":154543,"date":"2025-09-19T09:05:06","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T09:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/154543\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T09:05:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T09:05:06","slug":"late-night-show-hosts-decry-suspension-of-kimmels-show-blatant-assault-on-freedom-of-speech-jimmy-kimmel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/154543\/","title":{"rendered":"Late-night show hosts decry suspension of Kimmel\u2019s show: \u2018Blatant assault on freedom of speech\u2019 | Jimmy Kimmel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Late-night show hosts Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon and former host David Letterman<\/a> have all rallied behind Jimmy Kimmel following ABC\u2019s decision to indefinitely suspend his popular late-night show after his comments about the rightwing activist Charlie Kirk.<\/p>\n

In his opening monologue on Thursday night, Stephen Colbert<\/a> mocked executives at Disney, ABC\u2019s parent company, for caving to threats from Brendan Carr, the FCC chairman, when they pulled Kimmel off the air.<\/p>\n

In an excerpt<\/a> posted on Instagram before broadcast, Colbert also scolded Carr for calling Kimmel\u2019s commentary on the rush to politicize Kirk\u2019s murder an affront to community values. \u201cWell, you know what my community values are, Buster?\u201d Colbert asked. \u201cFreedom of speech.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople across the country are shocked by this blatant assault on the freedom of speech,\u201d Colbert added. He poked fun at Disney executives, saying: \u201cAs one source at ABC<\/a> put it, they were pissing themselves all day\u201d over the threat of Trump\u2019s administration\u2019s retaliation against the network. \u201cOn the bright side, that proves Disney is No 1 in streaming,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n

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In a separate video, the Late Show lampooned ABC parent company Disney, adapting a song from its animated hit Beauty and the Beast. In a message to employees at Disney, ABC, ESPN and Hulu, character Lumi\u00e8re\u2019s lyrics in the song Be Our Guest were changed to say \u201cshut your trap, we are warning you to cut the crap\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cPatriotically obedient host\u201d Jon Stewart, meanwhile, stepped in to present \u201cthe all-new, government-approved Daily Show\u201d, which he normally only hosts on Mondays. On a newly gold set \u2013 to match the Oval Office\u2019s new aesthetic <\/a>\u2013 Stewart struck a playfully sycophantic tone,<\/p>\n

Referring to Trump\u2019s comment overnight that \u201cKimmel is not a talented person\u201d, Stewart joked that Trump had a \u201cTalent-O-Meter\u201d to measure when a performer\u2019s \u201cniceness to the president goes below a certain level.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt which point, the FCC must be notified to threaten the acquisition prospects for billion dollar mergers of network affiliates. These affiliates are then asked to give ultimatums to the even larger mega corporation that controls the flow of state approved content, or the FCC can just choose to threaten those licenses directly. It\u2019s basic science. Read your Constitution!\u201d he said to applause.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Highlighting Donald Trump<\/a> Jr and House speaker Mike Johnson criticising their political opponents for calling Trump\u2019s administration \u201cfascist\u201d, Stewart played clips of Trump calling Democrats \u201cfascists\u201d, \u201canimals\u201d and \u201cdemonic\u201d.<\/p>\n

In response to comments by Republicans that politically motivated violence was no laughing matter after Kirk\u2019s death, Stewart showed clips of Republicans and conservatives mocking the 2022 hammer attack on house speaker Nancy Pelosi\u2019s husband Paul Pelosi<\/a>, which left him with a fractured skull.<\/p>\n

Stewart then interviewed the Filipino Nobel Peace prize-winning journalist Maria Ressa who was jailed in the Philippines in 2020 for her journalism criticising former president Rodrigo Duterte, who she said \u201ccollapsed our institutions in six months.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think it is weird it has taken Trump eight [months]?\u201d Stewart asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he did it in the first 100 days,\u201d Ressa replied, describing Trump\u2019s dismantling of institutions that could stand up to his rule as \u201cidentical\u201d to what happened in the Philippines.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The NBC late-night host Seth Meyers made light of fears that he might be next in line to be canceled, starting his show<\/a> on Thursday by pausing to say that as \u201c[Trump\u2019s] administration is pursuing a crack down on free speech \u2026 completely unrelated, I just want to say before we get started here that I\u2019ve always admired and respected Mr Trump\u201d.<\/p>\n

As his audience laughed, Meyers continued: \u201cI\u2019ve always believed he was \u2013 no, no, no \u2013 a visionary, an innovator, a great president, an even better golfer. And if you\u2019ve ever seen me say anything negative about him, that\u2019s just AI.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his opening monologue, Jimmy Fallon joked, \u201cI woke up to 100 messages from my dad saying, \u2018sorry they cancelled your show\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest with you all, I don\u2019t know what is going on. And no one does. But I do know Jimmy Kimmel<\/a> and he is a decent, funny and loving guy, and I hope he comes back,\u201d he said to applause.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Earlier on Thursday, veteran TV host David Letterman also condemned ABC\u2019s decision while speaking<\/a> at a festival for the Atlantic magazine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel bad about this because we all see where this is going,\u201d Letterman said. \u201cIt\u2019s managed media. And it\u2019s no good. It\u2019s silly. It\u2019s ridiculous. And you can\u2019t go around firing somebody because you\u2019re fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian criminal administration in the Oval Office. That\u2019s just not how this works.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statements come amid growing criticism against big media companies such as ABC and Paramount over their decisions to cancel popular shows including The Late Show with Stephen Colbert earlier.<\/p>\n

Trump has repeatedly accused mainstream networks of unfair coverage. Speaking on Air Force One on Thursday, Trump claimed<\/a> \u2013 without providing evidence \u2013 that \u201c97% [of major US networks are] against me\u201d, adding: \u201cAgain, 97% negative, and yet I won easily. I won all seven swing states \u2026 They give me only bad press. I mean they\u2019re getting a license. I would think maybe their licenses should be taken away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such show cancellations have been widely regarded as part of a broader trend where major media companies, eager to protect their business interests<\/a>, are increasingly aligning with rightwing views supported by Trump. This shift, which reflects a growing chill across media networks, has drawn criticism from the public and Democratic lawmakers who feel the media is becoming more submissive to Trump\u2019s White House at the expense of free speech.<\/p>\n

The controversy began after Kimmel, in a recent broadcast, suggested that<\/a> \u201cmany in Maga land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk\u201d. Within a day, Carr condemned the comments as \u201ctruly sick\u201d and suggested ABC could face regulatory consequences.<\/p>\n

The blowback on ABC and Disney on Thursday was swift, and ABC executives are reportedly<\/a> hoping to find a way to bring Kimmel back soon.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Reuters reported<\/a> that Bob Iger, the Disney CEO, and Dana Walden, Disney Entertainment co-chair, agreed to take Kimmel\u2019s show off the air on Wednesday and find a way to bring him back later, after struggling to agree on how to address the social media furor that erupted over Kimmel\u2019s comments about Kirk.<\/p>\n

Reaction to Kimmel\u2019s monologue had reached a fever pitch on Wednesday, including death threats that raised concerns for the safety of Kimmel and his staff, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. The late-night host was prepared to make a statement, but Kimmel and Disney representatives could not find language that they agreed would not further inflame the situation.<\/p>\n