Axed Jimmy Kimmel has been defended by his Hollywood superstar pals after his TV show was pulled off the air indefinitely by ABC last week.
The controversy began last Monday night after the host addressed Charlie Kirk’s assassination in his opening monologue and made comments about suspected assassin Tyler Robinson – leading to widespread outcry.
While Conservatives celebrated the suspension and President Donald Trump congratulated ABC for swiftly suspending Kimmel – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has united with Kimmel’s celebrity friends to stand ‘in solidarity’ with the host.
Huge stars including Robert De Niro, Jane Fonda, Ben Affleck, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Tom Hanks as well as notable Disney faces, such as Pedro Pascal, Selena Gomez, Martin Short and Meryl Streep have signed the impassioned, open letter.
The letter begins: ‘We the people must never accept government threats to our freedom of speech. Efforts by leaders to pressure artists, journalists, and companies with retaliation for their speech strike at the heart of what it means to live in a free country.
‘Last week, Jimmy Kimmel was taken off the air after the government threatened a private company with retaliation, marking a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation.
Axed Jimmy Kimmel has been defended by his Hollywood superstar pals after his TV show was pulled off the air indefinitely by ABC last week
The controversy began last Monday night after the host addressed Charlie Kirk ‘s assassination in his opening monologue and made comments about suspected assassin Tyler Robinson – leading to widespread outcry – Kirk seen moments before his death on September 10
‘In an attempt to silence its critics, our government has resorted to threatening the livelihoods of journalists, talk show hosts, artists, creatives, and entertainers across the board. This runs counter to the values our nation was built upon, and our Constitution guarantees.
‘We know this moment is bigger than us and our industry. Teachers, government employees, law firms, researchers, universities, students and so many more are also facing direct attacks on their freedom of expression.’
‘Regardless of our political affiliation, or whether we engage in politics or not, we all love our country. We also share the belief that our voices should never be silenced by those in power – because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.
‘This is the moment to defend free speech across our nation. We encourage all Americans to join us, along with the ACLU, in the fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights.’
In total, more than 430 movie, TV and stage stars as well as comedians, directors and writers added their names.
Others include Jason Bateman, Jane Fonda, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Rodrigo, Ben Stiller, Jean Smart, Michael Keaton, Noah Wyle, Regina King, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Natalie Portman, Maya Rudolph, Mark Ruffalo and Kerry Washington.
On Monday’s ABC show The View, co-host Whoopi Goldberg opened the show saying: ‘No one silences us’ and she and her fellow hosts condemned Disney’s decision.
‘I don´t understand how in this country, where the First Amendment was made to the Constitution to guarantee freedom of the press and freedom of speech, how the government itself is using its weight and power to bully and scare people into silence,’ Ana Navarro said.
While Conservatives celebrated the suspension, and President Donald Trump congratulated ABC for suspending Kimmel – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has united with Kimmel’s celebrity friends to stand ‘in solidarity’ with the host – including Disney star Selena Gomez – seen with Kimmel
Ben Affleck has also signed the letter – seen with Kimmel and Matt Damon in 2010 – Damon has not signed the letter
Jamie Lee Curtis – seen with Kimmel in 2022 – is also one of the celebrities showing solidarity with the host
Jane Fonda – seen back left – on Kimmel, has also signed the letter – seen with Sally Field, Lily Tomlin and Rita Moreno
President Donald Trump congratulated ABC for suspending Kimmel – pictured at Kirk’s memorial on September 21
Meryl Streep has signed the letter in support of Kimmel – pictured 2024
The show’s most conservative voice, Alyssa Farah Griffin, said: ‘The First Amendment is the first for a reason, because you need to be able to hold those in power accountable.’
Kimmel has yet to make a public comment on the suspension.
The late-night show, which Kimmel has hosted since 2003, was pulled by Disney’s ABC hours before its Sept. 17 broadcast following comments the comedian made on the program earlier that week regarding the fatal shooting of Kirk in Utah.
Kimmel had said of Robinson: ‘The MAGA gang are 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.
‘In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.’
He then cut to a video of Donald Trump talking to reporters, where he answered a question about how he was handling Kirk’s death.
When asked how he was holding up, the president responded: ‘I think very good,’ before directing the reporter’s attention to construction on the White House ballroom.
‘He’s at the fourth stage of grief: construction,’ Kimmel joked.
‘This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.’
Two days later, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr threatened repercussions for Kimmel’s comments, and Sinclair and Nexstar pulled programming.
The late-night show, which Kimmel has hosted since 2003, was pulled by Disney’s ABC hours before its Sept. 17 broadcast following comments the comedian made on the program earlier that week regarding the fatal shooting of Kirk in Utah
Kimmel had said of alleged assassin Tyler Robinson (pictured) – who has been charged with Kirk’s murder: ‘The MAGA gang are 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’
ABC and Disney announced they would be suspending the show indefinitely, prompting swift backlash from Hollywood and free speech defenders.
Kimmel’s late-night colleagues were also chief among those defending him, with Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers presenting a united front during their monologues after the news broke.
President Trump wrote on Truth Social: ‘Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!’
