The late-night host Jimmy Kimmel declared victory over President Trump\u2019s \u201ctyranny\u201d in a Christmas speech aired in the UK. <\/p>\n
Kimmel, whose ABC show Jimmy Kimmel Live! was briefly suspended over his criticism of Republicans\u2019 reaction to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, was chosen by Channel 4 to deliver the Alternative Christmas Message this year.<\/p>\n
The tradition, which dates back to 1993, usually showcases a controversial media personality as a foil to the King\u2019s official address<\/a>. In his message, Kimmel took the opportunity to criticise Trump and his administration for meddling with his talk show and threatening free speech.<\/p>\n \u2022 Sign up for The Times\u2019s weekly US newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cOur show came back stronger than ever,\u201d Kimmel said. \u201cWe won, the president lost, and now I\u2019m back on the air every night giving the most powerful politician on earth a right and richly deserved bollocking. That\u2019s a word, right? I used it properly?\u201d<\/p>\n Kimmel lauded the \u201cmillions and millions of people\u201d who condemned ABC parent company Disney\u2019s decision to take his show off the air.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople who never watched my show, people who were on record saying they hate my show spoke out, they marched, they did this all to support the right to a free expression of speech and because so many people spoke out, we came back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u2022 Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert wrote their own pink slips<\/a><\/p>\n Kimmel claimed the US is \u201cboth figuratively and literally tearing down the structures of our democracy\u201d, and warned Britons about how insidious free-speech suppression is and how fast it moves.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the reason I\u2019m telling you this story is because maybe you\u2019re thinking: \u2018Oh, a government silencing its critics is something that happens in places like Russia, or North Korea, or LA, not the UK,\u201d he said. \u201cWell, that\u2019s what we thought, and now we\u2019ve got King Donny the Eighth calling for executions. It happens fast.\u201d<\/p>\n Kimmel\u2019s show was \u201cpre-empted indefinitely\u201d after Trump\u2019s Federal Communications Commission<\/a> chairman Brendan Carr said the FCC had \u201cavenues\u201d to cancel it.<\/p>\n