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John Cleese and Piers Morgan clash over Jimmy Kimmel cancellation: "You flaming old hypocrite"
Music

John Cleese and Piers Morgan clash over Jimmy Kimmel cancellation: “You flaming old hypocrite”

by jummy84
written by jummy84

John Cleese and Piers Morgan have clashed on social media over the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Earlier this week, it was announced that the late night talk show had been pulled from the ABC Network, which is owned by Disney, over Kimmel’s comments following the murder of Charlie Kirk.

Right-wing activist Kirk was shot in the neck and killed at Utah Valley University campus on September 10, and, following the incident, Kimmel said that all signs pointed to Kirk’s shooter being a Trump supporter.

“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterise this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” he said in his Monday night monologue.

The subsequent fallout saw the show taken off-air indefinitely, a move that sparked a strong response from either side of the political spectrum.

Morgan reacted to the news by posting on X on Tuesday (September 16): “Jimmy Kimmel lied about Charlie Kirk’s assassin being MAGA, this caused understandable outrage all over America, prompted TV station owners to say they wouldn’t air him, and he’s now been suspended by his employers. Why is he being heralded as some kind of free speech martyr?”

US politician Joe Walsh replied to the post, arguing that Morgan had “missed the point”, prompting Monty Python and Fawlty Towers legend Cleese to write: “This from Piers Morgan. Who has made a fortune working for Rupert Murdoch.”

Morgan responded to Cleese by posting: “You took Rupert’s money too, you flaming old hypocrite. I’m just proud of it.”

Hostilities continued on Wednesday, with Cleese writing: “I see Piers Morgan says he’s proud to have worked with Rupert Murdoch, the man who had done more to contaminate Britain’s journalism than anyone else. Tells us all we need to know about Piers, whose only talent is associating himself with people much better known than himself.”

Morgan replied with three laughing emojis, writing: “a) Rupert’s much nicer than you.. even your fellow Pythons loathe you. b) I’m way more famous than you, which is why I have nearly twice as many followers.”

It is now believed that Kimmel’s business and legal representatives are in discussions with Disney and ABC executives in the hope of reaching a compromise that would allow for the return of Jimmy Kimmel Live.

While the move to cancel the show has been celebrated by President Trump, with whom the host has had a long-running feud, many in the entertainment industry have spoken out against the suspension. Almost all of Hollywood’s prominent creative guilds have condemned the decision, while fellow late-night legends Stephen Colbert and David Letterman have also spoken out, voicing concerns over free speech.

Comedian and podcaster Marc Maron also criticised the suspension, saying on Instagram: “This is government censorship. This is the Trump administration coming after people who speak out against him.”

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Jimmy Fallon & More – Hollywood Life
Hollywood

Jimmy Fallon & More – Hollywood Life

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Image Credit: NBC; Disney; CBS

While some conservative figures supported ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the comedian’s fellow late-night hosts and famous friends condemned the Walt Disney Company’s decision to shelve Jimmy Kimmel and his staff “indefinitely.” Though he hasn’t been fired, the threat still looms as the public awaits his response on the matter.

Below, Hollywood Life has compiled how fellow late-night comedians and celebrities reacted to Kimmel’s suspension.

Bill Maher

Calling Kimmel his “compatriot,” Maher disagreed with the ABC comedian’s “MAGA crowd comment” but defended his right to free speech.

“Well, I guess you all heard Jimmy Kimmel, my friend, my compatriot,” Maher began. “He’s been canned by ABC for comments he made about Charlie Kirk’s assassin. … Jimmy, pal, I am with you, I support you, and on the bright side, you don’t have to pretend anymore that you like Disneyland. That was always a great part of it for me when I got my ass canned over there.”

Jimmy Fallon

“The big story is that Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by ABC after pressure from the FCC, leaving everyone thinking, ‘WTF?’” Jimmy Fallon joked at the start of his monologue, before taking a more serious turn. “To be honest with you all, I don’t know what’s going on, and no one does. But I do know Jimmy Kimmel, and he’s a decent, funny and loving guy, and I hope he comes back.”

Fallon then incorporated a “Big Brother”-esque voice to censor anything he said against Donald Trump.

Stephen Colbert

Stephen Colbert, whose show was canceled by CBS in July 2025, did not hold back from condemning ABC during his monologue.

“Welcome, one and all, to The Late Show. I’m your host Stephen Colbert, but tonight, we are all Jimmy Kimmel,” Colbert began, calling out ABC for “blatant censorship …. with an autocrat, you cannot give an inch, and if ABC thinks this is going to satisfy the regime, they are woefully naive.”

Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart made a surprise Thursday evening appearance on The Daily Show to poke fun at the fear of censorship.

“We have another fun, hilarious, Administration-compliant show!” Jon said while pretending to be frightened. His hyperbolized compliments about Trump included calling the latter “father,” for example.

Wanda Sykes

Wanda Sykes, who was supposed to be Kimmel’s guest before the show got suspended, took to social media to share her reaction.

“I was supposed to go over and have a chat with my friend Jimmy Kimmel on his show, but as you have heard by now, the Jimmy Kimmel show has been pulled indefinitely, abruptly, because of complaints from the Trump administration,” Sykes said in an Instagram video. “So, 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.”

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Bill Maher Voices Support For Jimmy Kimmel, Takes Shots At ABC
TV & Streaming

Bill Maher Voices Support For Jimmy Kimmel, Takes Shots At ABC

by jummy84
written by jummy84

This week, Bill Maher walked out in front of his live audience to a standing ovation, as the Real Time with Bill Maher host addressed ABC‘s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, comparing it to his own cancellation over two decades ago by the same network.

“I know why you’re happy tonight: I’m still on,” the late-night host said before beginning his monologue.

Maher continued, “Talk show hosts are going down like Blockbusters in the ’90s … Let me just tell you something, I am not intimidated by the FCC, and if President Trump is watching, I have one thing to say to you: Have you lost weight? You look terrific,” to audience cheers and laughs.

“No, that’s not me, and never will be,” Maher added, “but life is f—ing weird. It was 24 years to the day that I made comments on ABC that got me canceled from that network, and Jimmy Kimmel took my slot at Politically Incorrect. I got canceled before cancel even had a culture.” (In the aftermath of 9/11, Maher disagreed with the suggestion that the perpetrators were “cowards,” arguing instead that the U.S. was cowardly for “lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away.” The comments caused an uproar, leading to major sponsors pulling their ads and local affiliates yanking the program. Afterward, as Maher mentioned, Kimmel was brought in to fill ABC’s late-night role.)

Maher’s support for his colleague comes after multiple late-night hosts — from David Letterman to Seth Meyers to Jay Leno — decried ABC’s preemption of Jimmy Kimmel Live! as an infringement on free speech following host Jimmy Kimmel’s joke about Donald Trump‘s seeming lack of grief over the killing of ultra right-wing spokesman Charlie Kirk: “We had 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 with everything they can to score political points from it,” he had said, in part.

ABC’s indefinite suspension of the program came after FCC chair Brendan Carr threatened action over the joke — which poked fun at Trump being in the “construction” stage of grief for his segueing from a reporter’s question about how he is “holding up” into the remodeling being done on the White House ballroom — and following Nexstar, the largest TV station group in the country, pulling the show for the “foreseeable future.” The company later clarified it did so “unilaterally” sans FCC pressure. Meanwhile, Sinclair Broadcast Group, the second largest national station operator and largest owner of ABC affiliate stations, said it would not lift the suspension until Kimmel had apologized to Kirk’s family and made a “meaningful donation” to his conservative nonprofit organization Turning Point USA. As such, the company replaced its Kimmel slot with a tribute to Kirk.

Meanwhile, as Trump celebrated the news, implying that Meyers and Jimmy Fallon are next up for removal, Democratic leaders penned a joint statement over the matter, as the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee vowed he would launch a formal investigation. In Hollywood, guilds have reacted with fervor, with writers and actors protesting at the Disney lot in Burbank, and top talent — from Damon Lindelof to She-Hulk star Tatiana Maslany — either announcing they will not work with Disney in the aftermath or calling for consumer boycotts of properties like Hulu and Disney+. Andor writer and recently minted Emmy winner Dan Gilroy penned a guest column in Deadline denouncing the “venomous evil” and governmental “siege.”

The move by ABC was also blasted by leading conservatives like Ted Cruz and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. In the latest development today, an ABC Sacramento affiliate, the site of a protest the day prior, was hit with gunfire; no one was injured.

“This sh– ain’t new; it’s worse, we’ll get to that, but ABC, they are steady,” Maher said. “ABC stands for Always Be Caving. So, Jimmy, pal, I am with you, I support you, and on the bright side, you don’t have to pretend anymore that you like Disneyland.”

Maher continued in his monologue, calling the “intimidation on the right” “so hypocritical.” He made several jokes about corporate kowtowing, including how Good Morning America has changed its name to add the postscript “even the scum who didn’t vote for Trump” and that next year’s Golden Bachelor will be Rudy Giuliani. He added that even Wolf Blitzer would be reporting from “The Capitulation Room” (CNN’s program, with Blizter and Pamela Brown, is called The Situation Room).

During the show, Maher called out the hosts of The View for ignoring Kimmel’s sidelining for the second day in a row “you know, ’cause it’s never been their thing to weigh in on the issues … it’s just an upbeat party show — that’s why they hired people named Joy [Behar] and Sunny [Hostin] and Whoopi [Goldberg].” (Yesterday, Carr threatened regulatory scrutiny on the talk show, citing the FCC’s equal time rule as his reason for considering such action.)

Maher noted that he didn’t think what Kimmel said “was exactly right,” but maintained he “doesn’t deserve to lose his job over it.”

He added, “It is a fool’s errand to try to say that these nuts who do these things are any ‘team’ … This kid [alleged Kirk shooter Tyler Robinson] is in his basement with VR goggles on, getting virtually ass-f—ed by a cartoon wombat [via the game Furry Shades of Gay 3: Still Gayer], and you’re gonna put politics into this? This kid doesn’t belong in either party, he belongs in a straitjacket.”

Concluding, Maher addressed Kimmel directly: “Pal, you did a great, funny show for two decades; you should be proud of that. If this firing goes for you the way it did for me, you’ll get 23 years on a better network.”

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Damon Lindelof
TV & Streaming

Damon Lindelof Will Not Work With Disney Amid Jimmy Kimmel Suspension

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Damon Lindelof showed support for Jimmy Kimmel and said he “can’t in good conscience” work for Disney or ABC unless Jimmy Kimmel Live!‘s suspension is lifted soon.

“I first heard Jimmy Kimmel on Kevin & Bean shortly after I moved to L.A. in my twenties. I was a fan of his goofy honest wit from the jump, and I never imagined we would one day be friends. I met him for the first time backstage at the ABC upfronts in 2004 … he had just seen The Lost pilot and dug it. He also said, ‘I hope you guys know what you’re doing,’” Lindelof began in an Instagram post shared on Thursday.

Lindelof went on to explain that he’s gotten to know Kimmel and his wife, Molly McNearney, over the past “twenty years.” He also called McNearney, who serves as the co-head writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel’s “better three quarters.”

He said that anyone who knows Kimmel knows that “he is caring and empathic and grateful.”

“You know he loves his country. You know he appreciates a good roast, and he can take as good as he gives. You know he supported his crew through multiple strikes, and you know he is generous and philanthropic and most of all, you know that he is kind,” Lindelof continued. “I was shocked, saddened and infuriated by yesterday’s suspension and look forward to it being lifted soon. If it isn’t, I can’t in good conscience work for the company that imposed it.”

Lindelof wrapped up the post by asking his followers if they “know the difference between hate speech and a joke.” He concluded, “I think you still do. And Jimmy? You’ve ALWAYS known what you were doing. Love you and support you.”

His vow to not work with Disney or ABC comes after he worked with the company for several years. Lindelof co-created ABC’s Lost, which ran from 2004 until 2010, alongside Jeffrey Lieber and J.J. Abrams. Additionally, he served as Lost‘s co-showrunner alongside Carlton Cuse.

Lindelof is currently an executive producer and writer of HBO’s DC series Lanterns. He last worked with Disney on a Star Wars film script in 2023 but later left the project.

In late 2022, he assembled a writers room to work on a top-secret Star Wars project, that eventually was revealed to focus on Daisy Ridley’s Rey and would be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. By March 2023, he had been replaced by Steven Knight and later said Lucasfilm asked him to depart the project.

It was announced that on Wednesday that Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been suspended following his controversial comments about Charlie Kirk’s murder. The news came just two days after Kimmel mocked MAGA Republicans for attempting to distance their own ideologies from those of Kirk’s suspected murderer, Tyler Robinson. Following the fatal shooting of Kirk on Sept. 10, the left and the right quickly pointed fingers at each other while trying to determine Robinson’s political views.

“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 monologue on Monday’s episode.

Rick Porter and Aaron Couch contributed to this report.

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The Jimmy Kimmel and Disney Drama Has Some Superfans Dumping the Mouse
Fashion

The Jimmy Kimmel and Disney Drama Has Some Superfans Dumping the Mouse

by jummy84
written by jummy84

That’s because being a Disney superfan is not simply enjoying the parks, shows, or movies. The term Disney adult has become a meme to be mocked on the internet, but as author AJ Wolfe told USA Today earlier this year, the subculture that has evolved around the corporation is much deeper for those who subscribe to it.

Being a Disney adult, and tapping into the various places to connect with other fans online, provides thousands with not only a community, but also a place to “find your tribe and your community,” she says.

“What it all stems back to for a lot of us as Disney adults is family and emotional connections,” Wolfe, a self-proclaimed Disney adult and the author of a recent book by the same name, told USA Today. “Now, with the world doing what it’s doing and people just being high anxiety and feeling stressed and just regular life, you’re going to want to try to get back to that feeling of safety and predictability and warmth and being taken care of, and so a lot of times people will go back to Disney.”

What do you do when the place that provided you solace and comfort from the world’s ills is now, in your mind, perpetuating them?

For Kim Power, the news has left her conflicted. Her family has gone to Disney World every year to mark the anniversary of her daughter overcoming a serious illness as a toddler, but now she finds herself incredibly disappointed with the company’s leadership.

“I am just blown away that we are watching free speech get taken away from us in real time, and extremely sad that the people who create the things that make us the happiest were in on it,” she tells me.

Power has also been hurting for all the other people that a park boycott will impact, especially the workers who have made their vacations so special.

“I want to remind everybody to treat the cast members with respect and kindness because they have nothing to do with this decision and are probably just as upset as we are, but they still have to show up every day and try to make everyone’s day magical,” she says.

Another place where people risk losing their careers? The Disney internet, which is an ever-expanding machine of creators, some of whom have millions of followers for their content about the company and its parks. Mindy Marzec, or @fairytalemindy, used to be one of them, writing a Disney travel blog that she made income from.

In recent years, her revenue has slowed, and Marzec has pivoted to other ventures, like a crystal business she began on Etsy. One of the reasons she decided to expand, she tells me, is that she decided during the entertainment strikes in 2023 to move away from “building a business on someone else’s business.”

“I tried a few different things before pivoting to selling crystals, minerals, and related products,” she tells me. “What’s happening with Disney right now will probably be a similar moment of reckoning for many other creators.”

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Is Jimmy Kimmel Coming Back? What We Know About His ABC Conversations – Hollywood Life
Celebrity News

Is Jimmy Kimmel Coming Back? What We Know About His ABC Conversations – Hollywood Life

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Image Credit: Disney

Since Jimmy Kimmel Live! was “pre-empted indefinitely” in ABC’s own words, there’s a chance the comedian’s show could return. As critics and fans clash over the Disney network’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel, some are wondering if and when he’ll come back.

Below, Hollywood Life has compiled everything we know so far about Kimmel’s potential return to ABC.

Was Jimmy Kimmel Fired by ABC?

No, Kimmel has not been fired; he’s been suspended “indefinitely.”

Why Was Jimmy Kimmel Suspended?

Kimmel was suspended for his remarks about Charlie Kirk‘s suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson. Days after Kimmel sent his condolences to the Kirk family and condemned gun violence, he said on his show’s September 15, 2025, broadcast, “The MAGA Gang (is) 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. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”

During that episode, the comedian showed how Donald Trump responded to a reporter who asked how he was coping with Kirk’s death.

“I think very good, and by the way, right there — do you see all the trucks?” the president asked. “They just started construction for the new ballroom for the White House, which is something they’ve been trying to get as, you know, for about 150 years. And it’s gonna be a beauty.”

ABC affiliate Nexstar then said it would not broadcast Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the “foreseeable future” on its stations, adding that it “strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.”

Hours before ABC pulled Kimmel off the air, Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission, criticized Kimmel’s “MAGA” comments.

“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said on Benny Johnson’s show. “Disney needs to see some change here, but the individual licensed stations that are taking their content, it’s time for them to step up and say this, you know, garbage to the extent that that’s what comes down the pipe in the future isn’t something that we think serves the needs of our local communities. … There’s calls for Kimmel to be fired. I think you could certainly see a path forward for suspension over this.”

The FCC threat was the final straw for Disney, according to CNN.

Is Jimmy Kimmel Coming Back?

Since Disney’s ABC said Kimmel has been “pre-empted indefinitely,” there is a chance he could return, but it’s unclear when. A source familiar with the situation told CNN, “Everyone deeply values him and wants him to come back. But he has to take down the temperature [with his Trump-related commentary].”

CNN further reported that Disney’s decision to pull Kimmel’s show was not a “rash” decision. The problem “had been brewing” the week of September 15, 2025. Kimmel didn’t relent from commenting on the “MAGA gang,” so Disney executives told him to “[take] down the temperature” of what would have been his September 17, 2025, monologue, according to a separate insider. When he didn’t, Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Entertainment Co-chairman Dana Walden decided to yank the show “in hopes of protecting Kimmel and the Disney brand from accelerating the controversy,” per CNN.

What Is Jimmy Kimmel’s Salary at ABC?

Kimmel earns around $15 million per year with ABC, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

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Who is Brendan Carr, FCC head under fire for Jimmy Kimmel suspension? - National
Celebrity News

Who is Brendan Carr, FCC head under fire for Jimmy Kimmel suspension? – National

by jummy84
written by jummy84

ABC took comic Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show off the air indefinitely Wednesday, just hours after Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr called his comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination “truly sick.”

Carr is a longtime FCC commissioner named as chairman by President Donald Trump in November. In the months since, he has launched investigations of ABC, CBS and NBC news.

“Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly. It is time for a change,” Carr said in July, after the FCC approved CBS owner Paramount’s $8 billion merger with Skydance.

Here’s what to know about Carr:

Carr is a longtime FCC commissioner

The FCC regulates broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband.

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Carr was already a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He was unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and both Trump and President Joe Biden nominated him to the commission.


Click to play video: 'Jimmy Kimmel suspension: Comedians express concerns over free speech censorship'


Jimmy Kimmel suspension: Comedians express concerns over free speech censorship


Before joining the commission as a staff member in 2012, he worked as an attorney at Wiley Rein LLP and clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

He has more recently embraced Trump’s ideas about social media and tech. He wrote a section devoted to the FCC in “Project 2025,” a sweeping blueprint for gutting the federal workforce and dismantling federal agencies in a second Trump administration produced by the conservative Heritage Foundation. Trump has claimed he didn’t know anything about Project 2025, but many of its themes have aligned with his statements.

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Carr appeared to acknowledge a connection between what happened to Kimmel and “Project 2025” with a GIF on social media Wednesday.

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The FCC takes on broadcast networks

In March, Carr said he was opening an investigation into Walt Disney Co. and ABC to see whether they are “promoting invidious forms of DEI discrimination.” He also opened separate investigations into CBS and NBC news.

Talking about the Kimmel situation on Fox News Wednesday, he said broadcasters with FCC licenses have “a unique obligation to operate in the public interest. And over the years, the FCC walked away from enforcing that public interest obligation. I don’t think we’re better off as a country for it.”

In July, he hailed the Paramount-Skydance merger as an opportunity to bring more balance to “once-storied” CBS.


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Business Matters: U.S. regulators greenlight $8B USD Paramount merger with Skydance


FCC approval of the merger came after months of turmoil around Trump’s legal battle with the CBS program “60 Minutes.” With the specter of the Trump administration potentially blocking the deal, Paramount agreed to a $16 million settlement with the president.

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CBS then announced it was canceling Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” just days after the comedian sharply criticized the settlement on air. Paramount cited financial reasons, but big names both within and outside the company have questioned those motives.

Shortly before the FCC approved the merger, Paramount agreed to hire an ombudsman at CBS News to investigate complaints of political bias. The job went to Kenneth Weinstein, the former head of a conservative think tank who has made several donations to Republican causes, including President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.

On Wednesday, Carr said Kimmel appeared to be making an intentional effort to mislead the public that conservative activist Kirk’s assassin was a right-wing Trump supporter. He called Kimmel’s comments about Kirk’s death “truly sick” and said his agency has a strong case for holding Kimmel, ABC and Disney accountable for spreading misinformation.

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Kirk, a top conservative podcaster, was shot and killed last week at an appearance on a college campus in Utah.


Click to play video: 'ABC suspends Jimmy Kimmel’s show indefinitely over Charlie Kirk death monologue'


ABC suspends Jimmy Kimmel’s show indefinitely over Charlie Kirk death monologue


Kimmel made several remarks about the reaction to Kirk’s death last week on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” including that “many in MAGA land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.”

“This is a very, very serious issue right now for Disney,” Carr said on the Benny Johnson podcast. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

House Democratic leaders on Thursday called for Carr’s resignation and accused him of “bullying” ABC into suspending Kimmel.

In a joint statement, the leaders — including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — said the move was part of Trump and Republicans’ effort to wage a “war on the First Amendment.”

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—With additional files from Global News


&copy 2025 The Canadian Press

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Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert react to Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension - National
Celebrity News

Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert react to Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension – National

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Late-night hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert opened their shows Thursday by addressing the news of Jimmy Kimmel Live! being taken off the air “indefinitely” following remarks host Jimmy Kimmel made on Monday night about the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

On Wednesday, ABC suspended Kimmel’s late-night show after comments he made about Kirk’s killing led a group of ABC-affiliated stations to say they would not air the show.

Earlier on Thursday, The Daily Show announced on social media that Stewart would step in as host. He typically only hosts the Monday edition of the program.


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Jimmy Kimmel suspension: Comedians express concerns over free speech censorship


“From Comedy Central, it’s the all-new, government-approved Daily Show, with your patriotically obedient host, Jon Stewart,” the show kicked off.

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Halfway through the show, Stewart referenced Trump’s state visit to the U.K. this week and mentioned Trump’s comments about Kimmel during a press conference on Thursday with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Chequers, Starmer’s country house in the English town of Aylesbury.

When asked about the dismissal of Kimmel and free speech in America, Trump said, “Well, Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else.”


“He said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk. And Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person. He had very bad ratings and they should have fired him a long time ago,” Trump continued. “So, you know, you can call that free speech or not. He was fired for lack of talent.”

Stewart began: “You may call it free speech in jolly old England, but in America, we have a little thing called the First Amendment, and let me tell you how it works.”

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He then went into an explanation about a “talent-o-meter,” which he joked was a device on Trump’s desk that lets him know when someone’s “talent quotient, measured mostly by niceness to the president,” reaches a low level.

“At which point, the FCC must be notified to threaten the acquisition prospects for billion-dollar mergers of network affiliates,” Stewart said. “These affiliates are then asked to give ultimatums to even larger mega corporation that controls the flow of state-approved content. Or the FCC can just choose to threaten those licences directly. It’s basic science.”

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Stewart went on to joke that he doesn’t know who the “Johnny Drimmel Live ABC character is,” but “the point is, our great administration has laid out very clear rules on free speech.”

“Now, some naysayers may argue that this administration’s speech concerns are merely a cynical ploy, a thin gruel of a ruse, a smokescreen to obscure an unprecedented consolidation of power and unitary intimidation, principle-less and coldly antithetical to any experiment in a constitutional republic governance. Some people would say that,” Stewart said. “Not me, though…. I think it’s great.”

Stewart also interviewed journalist and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Maria Ressa and asked for tips on coping with the current moment.

Ressa recounted how she and her colleagues at the news site Rappler “just kept going” when she was faced with 11 arrest warrants in one year under then-Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.

“We just kept doing our jobs. We just kept putting one foot in front of the other,” Ressa said.


Click to play video: '‘This is what authoritarianism looks like’: ABC suspends Jimmy Kimmel’s show indefinitely'


‘This is what authoritarianism looks like’: ABC suspends Jimmy Kimmel’s show indefinitely




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Colbert, who recently announced the cancellation of The Late Show, told his audience Thursday that he stands with Kimmel and his staff.

“And if ABC thinks this is going to satisfy the regime, they are woefully naive and clearly, they’ve never read the children’s book If You Give a Mouse a Kimmel. And to Jimmy, just let me say, I stand with you and your staff 100 per cent,” Colbert said.

He also responded to remarks Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr made about the importance for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming “they determine falls short of community values.”

“Well, you know what my community values are, buster? Freedom of speech,” Colbert said.

On Thursday, Jimmy Fallon opened his Tonight Show with a monologue addressing Kimmel’s suspension.

“To be honest with you all, I don’t know what’s going on. And no one does. But I do know Jimmy Kimmel, and he’s a decent, funny and loving guy, and I hope he comes back.”

ABC, which has aired Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003, did not immediately explain why it suspended the show on Wednesday. But its announcement came after broadcasters Nexstar and Sinclair said they would stop airing Kimmel’s show on their ABC-affiliated stations.

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Carr had also warned that the network and its local affiliates could face repercussions if Kimmel was not punished.

Carr had called Kimmel’s comments “truly sick” and said the comedian appeared to intentionally try to mislead the public about the alleged shooter’s political leanings. He later applauded the decisions to stop airing Kimmel’s show.

In a statement shared on social media, Sinclair cited “problematic comments regarding the murder of Charlie Kirk” in its decision. Andrew Alford, president of Nexstar’s broadcasting division, called Kimmel’s comments “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse.”

Sinclair called on Kimmel to “issue a direct apology to the Kirk family” and asked him to “make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA.”

The broadcast group also announced that ABC stations will air a special in remembrance of Kirk on Friday, during the Jimmy Kimmel Live! timeslot.

In a post on his Truth Social platform Wednesday night, Trump applauded ABC for “finally having the courage to do what had to be done” and claimed that Kimmel “has ZERO talent.”

Kimmel, whose contract with the Walt Disney Co.-owned network expires in May 2026, did not immediately comment on the suspension.

— with files from The Associated Press

&copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Jon Stewart Reacts to Jimmy Kimmel Suspension on 'The Daily Show' (VIDEO)
TV & Streaming

Jon Stewart Reacts to Jimmy Kimmel Suspension on ‘The Daily Show’ (VIDEO)

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Jon Stewart headlined a special episode of The Daily Show on Thursday (September 18) night and, as expected, the 25-time Emmy winner reacted to the news that ABC suspended fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel Live! in the midst of pressure from the Federal Communications Commission chair. Only, instead of addressing the issue head-on with a directly scathing monologue or thoughtful speech on censorship, Stewart took his uniquely satirical approach to the matter.

In the opening act of the episode (embedded above), Stewart spent 23 straight minutes cosplaying as a North Korea-style media sycophant of Donald Trump, shivering with unbridled enthusiasm for the president and finding kind words to say about every possible situation involving Trump.

Dubbing himself a “patriotically obedient host,” Stewart reacted to all of the highlights of Trump’s overseas visit to the United Kingdom — especially the most awkward moments of his state dinner with Great Britain’s royal family — with utter adulation.

“Father has been gracing England with his legendary warmth and radiance. Gaze upon him with a gait even more majestic than that of the royal horses that pranced before him, he wowed the English with charm, intelligence, and an undeniable sexual charisma that filled their air like a pheromone-packed London fog,” Stewart joked of Trump’s appearance. “And as part of this historic trip, the perfectly-tinted Trump dazzled his hosts at dinner with a demonstration of his unmatched oratory skill.”

Stewart continued the schtick of lavishing praise upon Trump for the next few minutes, pretending to be sheepishly afraid that he, too, might face the wrath of the administration’s FCC chair, before touching on the Kimmel situation directly… er, indirectly, as the case may be.

“Now the visit to England couldn’t have gone better for our president. Finally, a country affording our great leader the respect and deference that any sun god would command,” he said, before introducing a clip of a British journalist asking, “We saw the dismissal of a very well-known chat show host in America last night, Mr. Kimmel. Is free speech more under attack in Britain or America?” To that, Stewart responded with feigned outrage, “How dare you, sir?! How dare you, sir?! What outfit are you with, sir, the Antifa Herald Tribune? Why I wouldn’t even line my parrot’s cage with your rag. There’s a very reasonable explanation for what befell this scallywag, Kimmel.”

Stewart then played a clip of Trump reacting to the news himself to say, “Well, Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else, and he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk. And Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person. He had very bad ratings, and they should have fired him a long time ago. So you know, you can call that free speech or not.”

After momentarily dropping the guise and yelling at Trump’s still image to “shut the f**k up,” Stewart resumed his subservient character performance to say, “You may call it free speech in jolly old England, but in America, we have little something called the First Amendment. And let me tell you how it works. It’s a completely scientific instrument that is kept on the president’s desk, and it tells the president when a performer’s TQ talent portion, measured mostly by niceness to the president, goes below a certain level, at 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 threaten those licenses directly. It’s basic science.”

Watch the above-embedded clip for Jon Stewart’s full opening segment on Thursday’s The Daily Show edition.

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Jimmy Fallon Reacts To Jimmy Kimmel Suspension.
TV & Streaming

Jimmy Fallon Reacts To Jimmy Kimmel Suspension.

by jummy84
written by jummy84

Jimmy Fallon joined in on the political fireworks, the day after his pal Jimmy Kimmel was pulled from ABC.

Fallon, who tends to shy away from too much political material, opened his show by saying, “The big story is that Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by ABC after pressure from the FCC leaving everyone thinking WTF.”

“A lot of people are worried that we won’t keep saying what we want to say, or that we’ll be censored, but I’m going to cover the President’s trip to the UK, just like I normally would,” said Fallon before launching into a bit where the punchlines of his jokes were changed by a voiceover.

“President Trump just wrapped up his three day trip to the UK, and he looked incredibly handsome… His tie was exactly the right length and his face looked like a color that exists in nature, and his hair looked better than Conrad’s from The Summer I Turned Pretty,” he joked.

“Anyway, to sum it up, President Trump is making America great again by restoring our national reputation, reinvigorating our economy and rebuilding our military. I hereby nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize,” he added. “See, we can still say what we want.”

Fallon joked that he woke up to “100 text messages from my dad saying, ‘I’m sorry they canceled your show’.”

He also had a heartfelt message for Kimmel, who is he is close friends with. Kimmel appeared on Fallon’s NBC gameshow Password last year and the two have swapped shows before as part of an April Fools’ Day prank.

“To be honest with you all, I don’t know what’s going on, no one does. But I do know Jimmy Kimmel, and he is a decent, funny, and loving guy. I hope he comes back.”

Fallon’s comments come 24 hours after ABC indefinitely preempted Jimmy Kimmel Live! following a furor around Kimmel’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s killer.

On Monday, Kimmel said, “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 with everything they can to score political points from it.”

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr subsequently called Kimmel’s comments “some of the sickest conduct possible”.

This was soon followed by local station Nexstar saying it would “preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the foreseeable future” as it “strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk”.

Moments later, Disney made its own decision to pause the show.

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