Jimmy Fallon. Video screenshot

 

America's late-night TV hosts have unified in support of Jimmy Kimmel following his suspension by ABC. Kimmel was suspended over his remarks regarding the killing of Charlie Kirk, resulting in a conflict that has ignited heated debates on free speech and media censorship. The controversy follows US President Donald Trump's comments that networks critical of him might have their licences revoked.

 

Before Kimmel's suspension, tensions had been rising between Trump and the media. Kimmel criticised Trump's fan base, terming them the "Maga gang," in response to the conservative activist's death, and likened Trump's reaction to that of a "four-year-old mourning a goldfish." This sparked outrage, notably from Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, labelling Kimmel’s words as "sick."

 

Fellow hosts, like Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers, have openly criticised the move, suggesting it threatens free speech principles. Colbert referred to Kimmel's suspension as "blatant censorship," while Meyers sarcastically praised Trump to emphasise the perceived media crackdown. NBC's Late Night host declared this as a pivotal moment for democratic values, reinforcing the need to protect freedom of expression.

 

Critics from the conservative side have accused Kimmel of pushing a false narrative, suggesting Kirk’s killer may not have been associated with the "Make America Great Again" movement. Despite conflicting views, the exact motive behind the incident remains unknown; meanwhile, conservative voices are expressing their opinions. Greg Gutfeld on Fox News has questioned the limits of free speech on network television.

 

Looking forward, Kimmel's suspension has spotlighted the broader culture war narrative, reflecting tensions within the American media landscape. Organisations like Nexstar Media have already decided against airing Kimmel’s show, pending federal approval for a merger, in what some see as a bid to appease the administration. This situation raises questions about media independence and potential corporate-government influence in media operations.

 

Returning broadcasters like Fallon and Stewart have resorted to satire, mocking the administration's stance on free speech, while legendary hosts such as David Letterman and Conan O'Brien have publicly expressed concern over the suspension's implications. The issue remains divisive, with public and media figures split along political lines, further complicating the national conversation on media freedom and censorship.

 

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Jimmy Kimmel suspended by ABC over controversial comments.
• US President Trump suggests critical networks may lose licences.
• Late-night hosts rally for media freedom amidst political tensions.

Related Stories:

 

ABC Pulls 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' Over Charlie Kirk Remarks

Trump's Influence Sees Kimmel Silenced in Corporate America

 

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC 2025-09-20

 

 

 

As we ALL should that takes courage on all of the folks working to produce those shows kudos folks!!

2 hours ago, Tug said:

As we ALL should that takes courage on all of the folks working to produce those shows kudos folks!!

 

Did you (or they) have similar courage to speak up when Rosanne Barr or Gina Corano lost their jobs for their within the law opinions?  

11 minutes ago, James105 said:

 

Did you (or they) have similar courage to speak up when Rosanne Barr or Gina Corano lost their jobs for their within the law opinions?  

What part did the Government play in the dismissal of Barr and Corano?

14 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

What part did the Government play in the dismissal of Barr and Corano?

 

Are you seriously trying to take the high moral ground here? 

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/mark-zuckerberg-joe-rogan-biden-officials-scream-curse-facebook-rcna187199

 

I can see why you are probably upset.  Brutally dismissing Jimmy Kimmel in front of his family for his opinions is too much.  Now his kids will have to grow up without seeing their father on TV.   Imagine the pain they must be going through right now.  

3 minutes ago, James105 said:

 

Are you seriously trying to take the high moral ground here? 

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/mark-zuckerberg-joe-rogan-biden-officials-scream-curse-facebook-rcna187199

 

I can see why you are probably upset.  Brutally dismissing Jimmy Kimmel in front of his family for his opinions is too much.  Now his kids will have to grow up without seeing their father on TV.   Imagine the pain they must be going through right now.  

So no answer?

 

What part did the Government play in the dismissal of Barr and Corano?

Birds of the father flock together, but I guarantee you that he's going to mind his 'jokes' very carefully. 

What's really sad about this was even as recently as January Trump said in a speech that free speech had to be protected at all costs. Three years ago Brandon Carr made the same kind of statement and boy are they changing their tunes in a hurry.

 

Censorship is here, it's come by storm, and they will do everything in their power to make America an autocracy. 

 

 

 

47 minutes ago, James105 said:

 

Did you (or they) have similar courage to speak up when Rosanne Barr or Gina Corano lost their jobs for their within the law opinions?  

Exactly!!

16 minutes ago, stevenl said:

So no answer?

 

What part did the Government play in the dismissal of Barr and Corano?

 

It was an ABC decision to fire him.  Take it up with them or point to an official act or regulation that forced them to do it.   

 

In the words of your heroes:

 

9 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

What's really sad about this was even as recently as January Trump said in a speech that free speech had to be protected at all costs. Three years ago Brandon Carr made the same kind of statement and boy are they changing their tunes in a hurry.

 

Censorship is here, it's come by storm, and they will do everything in their power to make America an autocracy. 

 

 

 

Free speech as in the First amendment is alive and well in the USA!!

11 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

What's really sad about this was even as recently as January Trump said in a speech that free speech had to be protected at all costs. Three years ago Brandon Carr made the same kind of statement and boy are they changing their tunes in a hurry.

 

Censorship is here, it's come by storm, and they will do everything in their power to make America an autocracy. 

 

 

 

 

It will probably never stop being amusing to see the left complaining so much about cancel culture and free speech erosion now it has happened to their side after so many warnings from the right it might actually be used against them one day.   

"I got to say that's right out of 'Goodfellas'," Cruz said, evoking the Martin Scorsese gangster movie. "That's right out of a mafioso coming into a bar going, 'Nice bar you have here. It would be a shame if something happened to it'."

 

The senator's remarks are a rare example of a prominent member of President Donald Trump's own party publicly criticizing the actions of the administration, highlighting deepening concerns over free-speech rights and Trump's threatened crackdowns.

 

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/jimmy-kimmel-suspension-puts-disney-back-hotseat-writers-hold-protest-2025-09-19/

15 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

What's really sad about this was even as recently as January Trump said in a speech that free speech had to be protected at all costs. Three years ago Brandon Carr made the same kind of statement and boy are they changing their tunes in a hurry.

 

Censorship is here, it's come by storm, and they will do everything in their power to make America an autocracy. 

 

 

 

The thing is Charlie Kirk would have defended what Jimmy Kimmel was cancelled for,he was all for free speech .

 

Twitter censored the US president. That was a big <deleted> up by the left

1 minute ago, James105 said:

 

It will probably never stop being amusing to see the left complaining so much about cancel culture and free speech erosion now it has happened to their side after so many warnings from the right it might actually be used against them one day.   

 

Amusing is a kind word to use.   It is actually sickening to observe how hypocritical and blatantly sick are those who are so blind , due to maniacal bias which refuses to even consider that they could be wrong .   Then they censor, shame, ridicule, fire, mandate their "views"  on others ....screaming how those others have NO rights .  

 

Now its their turn to get some payback .   The thought that even a small percent will actually see past their illness is not gonna happen.

 

Hypocrites.   The lowest form of humanity. 

4 minutes ago, jvs said:

The thing is Charlie Kirk would have defended what Jimmy Kimmel was cancelled for,he was all for free speech .

 

Maybe but a few days after death it's not appropriate. Give it a month at least.

5 minutes ago, angryguy said:

Twitter censored the US president. That was a big <deleted> up by the left

 

did a lot more than censored  !!

27 minutes ago, James105 said:

It was an ABC decision to fire him

Only a fool believes there was no government interference.

Troll post removed

 

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31 minutes ago, rumak said:

Amusing is a kind word to use.   It is actually sickening to observe how hypocritical and blatantly sick are those who are so blind , due to maniacal bias which refuses to even consider that they could be wrong .   Then they censor, shame, ridicule, fire, mandate their "views"  on others ....screaming how those others have NO rights .  

 

Now its their turn to get some payback .   The thought that even a small percent will actually see past their illness is not gonna happen.

 

I sometimes forget that reading apprehension is not a strongpoint of the warriors in forums.     For those who might be in that class...... my post is calling out the "left"  ( though i do not like to use that word,  just doing it now for ease of comprehension for those uncapable of understanding) . 

They have controlled the airways,  govt,  media,  and much more for the last decade at least.      "censoring, shaming, ridiculing, firing, mandating"  those whose "free speech" they did not like ... and screaming that there are "consequences" .

 

Now,  they  go berserk as the rules they created are turned against them .    

20 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Only a fool believes there was no government interference.

 

so...... then it should be very obvious that all the censoring, shaming, ridiculing, firing, mandating, etc that was used by the Govt .  for the last decade (yes, democrats)  was strictly used against those with opposing views .

 

Doctors, lawyers, podcasters, forum users ( think Facebook which has admitted as much), ...... all the resources that the govt had was used to tear down the opposition. 

 

I am not on any "side".    What i post is about as objective as i hope to be .   What i have observed is the epitome of double standards .   Presently,  I think the present administration, elected even with all the odds against them,  but CHOSEN by a lawful election by millions of people fed up with what was going on........... 

 i see this administration trying to undue that which was totally corrupt .  IMO  they are trying very hard to get rid of the trash in govt and on the streets .   

but............... that's just my opinion   😊  .......

 

Surely you would agree that saying that someone , who only used words , free speech, without trying to incite..........   saying that person deserved to die,  or claiming that it was his "team"  that was responsible ....... 

 

would exact screams of revenge by the left...... if it was one of "them"

 

hypocracy !   sick 

36 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Only a fool believes there was no government interference.

 

Facts don't really care about your feelings.  ABC made a decision that they considered best for their business and if they really wanted to keep him in his job then they could have fought for him as there was no legal requirement to fire him.  They didn't do that though, did they?  

 

Did you have the same energy when Trump was being removed from social media or were you of the opinion that a private company can choose who they want on their platforms?   

 

Unfortunately the left do not have and have never had a history of defending free speech, so any comments you make on this just make you all look like absolute hypocrites.  If only you could point to a post you made where you defended someone who got fired for their opinion (whose opinions you did not agree with) instead of celebrating it then perhaps you may have some moral ground to stand on, but we both know you will not be able to do that don't we?  

1 hour ago, James105 said:

 

Are you seriously trying to take the high moral ground here? 

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/mark-zuckerberg-joe-rogan-biden-officials-scream-curse-facebook-rcna187199

 

I can see why you are probably upset.  Brutally dismissing Jimmy Kimmel in front of his family for his opinions is too much.  Now his kids will have to grow up without seeing their father on TV.   Imagine the pain they must be going through right now.  

If it's true what Zuckerberg is claiming, (and he had serious motivation to lie), the Govt didn't have to power to remove his license and stop facebook from operating.

And the right wing Supreme Court itself ruled in favor of the Biden Administration against charges that it engaged in coercion.

On the other hand, Carr, the head of the FCC clearly crossed the line.

2 minutes ago, Alan Zweibel said:

If it's true what Zuckerberg is claiming, (and he had serious motivation to lie), the Govt didn't have to power to remove his license and stop facebook from operating.

And the right wing Supreme Court itself ruled in favor of the Biden Administration against charges that it engaged in coercion.

On the other hand, Carr, the head of the FCC clearly crossed the line.

 

Some nice mental gymnastics you have going on there.  I hope you stretched properly beforehand to avoid injury.  

1 hour ago, angryguy said:

Twitter censored the US president. That was a big <deleted> up by the left

You're funny, everything that you disagree with must be "the left". So Twitter was "the left"?? You know it was a publicly owned company, right? Did all the thousands of individual shareholders get together one day and decide they were "the left"? Was there a shareholder meeting to decide this that you can point to?

One of the major shareholders was Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. How left is he?

15 minutes ago, James105 said:

 

Some nice mental gymnastics you have going on there.  I hope you stretched properly beforehand to avoid injury.  

An open threat to put a company out of business  is a lot more serious than what the Biden Administration did. 

Kimmel was pretty funny when he was doing upskirt videos

1 minute ago, Yagoda said:

Kimmel was pretty funny when he was doing upskirt videos

Your thing....?.....................😂  

18 minutes ago, Alan Zweibel said:

An open threat to put a company out of business  is a lot more serious than what the Biden Administration did. 

 

A lot more serious is shooting a young man in the neck and killing him in front of his wife and 2 young kids for the crime of holding moderate conservative views and debating them.   If you think the right are escalating and copying the abhorrent behaviors of the left then lets hope the right, who probably own most of the guns in America, do not follow the left down their latest violent path in their latest efforts to silence those they disagree with.