Barack Obama slams Jimmy Kimmel's cancellation in new statement as more celebrities speak out — see reactions
The likes of Kyra Sedgwick, Steve Martin, Ben Stiller, and more have have been quick to express concerns over the axing's apparent threat to free speech
Both backlash against ABC and Disney and public support of Jimmy Kimmel has been swift in the wake of the network yanking the veteran TV host off of the air abruptly on Wednesday night. Following apparent pressure from FCC chairman Brendan Carr, who is meant to be an independent, non-partisan regulator, and later media conglomerates Nexstar and Sinclair's decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live! from their affiliate stations over his comments on the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's death, ABC halted production of the late night talk show indefinitely.
His exact comments were: "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 … And in between the finger pointing, there was grieving on Friday. The White House flew the flags at half-staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level you can see how hard the president is taking this." He then cut to a video of Donald Trump deflecting a question about his longtime ally's death, and changing the subject to construction of his new $200 million ballroom he's building at the White House. "It's going to be a beauty," the president quipped.
Trump's celebrations of both Kimmel's and Stephen Colbert's cancellations have sparked major concern
Trump has since celebrated news of Jimmy's axing, as has the FCC chair he appointed, who speaking with right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson on Wednesday prior to the axing, called Jimmy's comments about Charlie's death "the sickest conduct possible," and threatened: "We can do this the easy way or the hard way," noting: "These companies can find ways to change conduct and take actions on Kimmel, or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead."
The move was quick to spark concern among lawyers and media experts alike for its apparent affront to the First Amendment, with many others calling out the irony of it being supported by a party who have advertised themselves as supposed champions of free speech and against cancel culture. Scroll below for statements from politicians and celebrities alike denouncing the decision.
"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," the former president wrote on Twitter (now X), adding: "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."
The comedian was meant to appear on Jimmy's show the night it was cancelled. She later shared in a video on Instagram: "The Jimmy Kimmel show has been pulled indefinitely, abruptly, because of complaints from the Trump administration," adding: "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."
The The Summer I Turned Pretty actress, sharing a photo of herself on Jimmy's show on Instagram, wrote: "Over the years, @jimmykimmel has been so kind to me and my family and brought entertainment and laughter to millions. He deserves to be on our TVs and we must continue to do everything in our power to protect our freedom of speech."
The governor of California declared 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," and emphasized: "There is no such thing as free speech under Donald Trump's reign."
The former The Bachelor star wrote under Variety's Instagram post sharing the news: "This can't be coming from the party that made its entire identity free speech and no more cancel culture…"
The Only Murders in the Building actor shared a quote from Anne Frank that reads: "Terrible things are happening outside. Poor helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. Families are torn apart. Men, women and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared," adding himself: "And our right to free speech is being eliminated."
The Hacks actress wrote 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?"
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Christie Brinkley
The model reposted a photo of Jimmy with fellow late night hosts John Oliver, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon, and wrote: "I love these guys!" along with: "The laughter they provide us is as important as the air we breathe! And they are taking another one of them off the air tonight! WE MUST PROTECT their and OUR 1st Amendment RIGHTS!!!!"
The former CNN anchor shared on X: "Jimmy Kimmel deserves better than this. He's a class act. Case in point — after my first appearance on his show back in 2018, he very thoughtfully asked whether I was receiving adequate security at that time, as Trump was repeatedly smearing journalists as 'the enemy of the people,' comments that resulted in threats aimed at many of us in the White House Press Corps. I'll never forget that moment of kindness from Jimmy. It spoke volumes. Make no mistake, our right to free speech is under attack in this country. This right must be defended as it is essential to the American way of life."
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