{"id":23041,"date":"2025-09-18T03:35:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T03:35:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/23041\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T03:35:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T03:35:07","slug":"censoring-you-in-real-time-suspension-of-jimmy-kimmel-show-sparks-shock-and-fears-for-free-speech-jimmy-kimmel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/23041\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Censoring you in real time\u2019: suspension of Jimmy Kimmel show sparks shock and fears for free speech | Jimmy Kimmel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Politicians, media figures and free speech organisations expressed anger and alarm at the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s late night show, warning that critics of Donald Trump<\/a> were being systematically silenced.<\/p>\n

ABC announced it was suspending Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely<\/a> after comments Kimmel made about Charlie Kirk\u2019s killing led a group of ABC-affiliated stations to say it would not air the show.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday evening, California governor Gavin Newsom called the firing of commentators and cancelling of shows \u201ccoordinated\u201d and \u201cdangerous.\u201d He went on to say that the Republican party \u201cdoes not believe in free speech. They are censoring you in real time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Democratic senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said \u201ceverybody across the political spectrum should be speaking out to stop what\u2019s happening to Jimmy Kimmel<\/a>.\u201d His colleague Chris Murphy said it was likely the start of a campaign to \u201cuse the murder of Charlie Kirk as a pretext to use the power of the White House to wipe out Trump\u2019s critics and his political opponents\u201d, while Democratic politician Ro Khanna said \u201cthis is perhaps the first administration to make comedy illegal\u201d.<\/p>\n

Actor Ben Stiller said the decision to suspend Kimmel\u2019s show \u201cisn\u2019t right\u201d, while comedian and occasional Daily Show host Michael Kosta wrote: \u201cThis is a serious moment in American history. TV networks MUST push back. This is complete BS.\u201d<\/p>\n

Comedian and actress Wanda Sykes said in a video that Trump \u201cdidn\u2019t 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\u2019s the time to do it. Love you, Jimmy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharing recent footage of Fox commentator Brian Kilmeade calling for mentally ill and homeless people to be killed, comedian Paul Scheer wrote<\/a>: \u201cSo let me get this straight. Kimmel is off the air for his comments about the politicization of an assassination but this is totally fine.\u201d Kilmeade later apologised<\/a> for his \u201cextremely callous\u201d remarks.<\/p>\n

Comedian Mike Birbiglia wrote<\/a>: \u201cIf you\u2019re a comedian and you don\u2019t call out the insanity of pulling Kimmel off the air \u2013 don\u2019t bother spouting off about free speech anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

MSNBC political commentator Chris Hayes called it the most \u201cstraightforward attack on free speech from state actors I\u2019ve ever seen in my life\u201d.<\/p>\n

In his monologue on Monday, Kimmel said that \u201cwe hit some new lows over the weekend with the Maga gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk<\/a> as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Tuesday he said Trump was \u201cfanning the flames<\/a>\u201d by attacking people on the left.<\/p>\n

ABC, which has aired Kimmel\u2019s late-night show since 2003, moved swiftly after Nexstar Communications Group said it would pull the show, saying Kimmel\u2019s comments about Kirk\u2019s death \u201cwere offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse\u201d.<\/p>\n

Donald Trump and figures aligned to his Maga movement reacted with glee to the news, with the president calling it \u201cGreat News for America\u201d. Trump posted: \u201cCongratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent.\u201d<\/p>\n

The president, who is on a state visit to the UK<\/a> and hours earlier had attended a banquet hosted by King Charles, also appeared to encourage the NBC network to cancel other late night shows hosted by Jimmy Fallon and Seth Myers.<\/p>\n

Earlier on Wednesday, the chair of the US media regulator, Brendan Carr, appeared on a rightwing podcast and threatened to take away ABC\u2019s broadcasting license in response to Kimmel\u2019s comments on suspected Charlie Kirk shooter Tyler Robinson.<\/p>\n

In the interview with Benny Johnson, Carr suggested suspending Kimmel could be an appropriate action from ABC.<\/p>\n

After ABC\u2019s announcement hours later, Johnson boasted online that it was his interview with Carr that had led to Kimmel\u2019s suspension. \u201cIt\u2019s called soft power,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Left uses it all the time. Thanks to President Trump, the Right has learned how to wield power as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression said the timing of ABC\u2019s decision, after the comments from Carr, \u201ctells the whole story\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother media outlet withered under government pressure,\u201d the free speech advocacy group said, adding \u201cwe cannot be a country where late night talk show hosts serve at the pleasure of the president. But until institutions grow a backbone and learn to resist government pressure, that is the country we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Truth Wins Out (TWO), a nonprofit dedicated to exposing extremism, said the move was part of a rightwing \u201cCancel Crusade\u201d that has \u201cweaponised outrage to silence dissent and intimidate media outlets.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a new McCarthyism that has expanded the boundaries of \u2018woke\u2019 to once unimaginable dimensions. It is chilling the free press and punishing truth\u2011tellers.\u201d<\/p>\n

TWO\u2019s statement references the wave of firings that have followed Kirk\u2019s death, with companies sacking employees for making comments that are deemed to be insensitive or divisive.<\/p>\n

There have been reports of teachers, firefighters, journalists<\/a>, nurses, politicians, a Secret Service employee<\/a>, a junior strategist at Nasdaq<\/a> and a worker for a prominent NFL team<\/a>, being sacked or censured in some form after publishing opinions on Kirk\u2019s politics or death.<\/p>\n

Efforts to track down, intimidate and harass people perceived not to have sufficiently mourned the killing of the Kirk were endorsed on Monday by JD Vance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The US vice-president guest-hosted Kirk\u2019s podcast and said that people who \u201csee someone celebrating Charlie\u2019s murder\u201d should \u201ccall their employer. We don\u2019t believe in political violence, but we do believe in civility, and there is no civility in the celebration of political assassination.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kimmel, like CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert, had consistently been critical of Trump and many of his policies on his show and his suspension comes just weeks after rival network CBS said that it was cancelling Stephen Colbert\u2019s<\/a> show at the end of this season for financial reasons, although some critics have wondered if his stance on Trump played a role.<\/p>\n