While President Donald Trump is celebrating Jimmy Kimmel Live! getting suspended by ABC over host Jimmy Kimmel’s viral Charlie Kirk remarks, other Hollywood notables and political figures are slamming the network’s decision.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is among those calling ABC’s move an attack on free speech, writing on X, “Buying and controlling media platforms. Firing commentators. Canceling shows. These aren’t coincidences. It’s coordinated. And it’s dangerous. The @GOP does not believe in free speech. They are censoring you in real time.”
Former President Barack Obama also weighed in to condemn the suspension, writing on Threads, “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. 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.”
On Wednesday, ABC announced Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be “preempted indefinitely” after Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr condemned Kimmel for saying during his Monday night show that he suspected Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson was a MAGA Republican.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang 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,” Kimmel said during his opening monologue. After, Carr also threatened to take action against ABC affiliates over Kimmel’s remarks.
In response to ABC’s decision, Michael Kosta, a comedian and one of The Daily Show‘s rotating hosts, highlighted the First Amendment on his Instagram Story, adding, “This is a serious moment in American history. TV networks MUST push back. This is complete BS.”
Hacks star Jean Smart shared on Instagram, “I am horrified at the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel Live. What Jimmy said was FREE speech, not hate speech. People seem to only want to protect free speech when it suits THEIR agenda. Though I didn’t agree at ALL with Charlie Kirk; his shooting death sickened me; and should have sickened any decent human being. What is happening to our country?”
In an Instagram video, comedian and actress Wanda Sykes blamed the suspension on “complaints by the Trump administration.” She added, “Let’s see, he 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. Love you, Jimmy.”
Alex Edelman, writer, comedian and star on The Paper, also wrote on X, “This is the actual cancel culture everyone claims to hate so much.”
Actor and comedian Paul Scheer wrote on Threads, responding to a video of Fox commentator Brian Kilmeade calling for mentally ill homeless people to be killed, “So let me get this straight. Kimmel is off the air for his comments about the politicization of an assassination but this is totally fine.”
As the premiere of his new movie Him took place right across the street from Kimmel’s theater Wednesday night, comedian Tim Heidecker told THR, “It’s a dark, dark time. I think it’s very scary; it’s happening very quickly and we are seeing the results of electing a fascist and what it feels like to be living under a fascist regime. I am sure Jimmy will be OK but it’s very scary and is absolutely state-sponsored censorship. I mean the guy from the FCC said, ‘We can do this the easy way or the hard way’ — that’s like mob stuff. I’m very upset by it. Late night TV is not my thing but that’s OK, I think he should be able to say what he wants, within reason. What he said didn’t seem that crazy.”
More reactions to the news about the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! follow, and will be added as this story develops.