Hollywood heavyweights and political power players are blasting ABC’s decision to yank “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from its lineup — even as President Trump and his conservative allies celebrate the late-night takedown.
Kimmel’s indefinite hiatus, announced by the Disney-owned network Wednesday night, was triggered by comments he made about the ongoing discourse swirling around the late Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University earlier this month. Kirk, a Trump supporter and major player in the MAGA movement, was just 31 years old.
Former President Barack Obama called out the Trump administration for deploying the kind of “cancel culture” they have decried in the past and taking it to “a new and dangerous level” by “threatening regulatory actions against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.”
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. https://t.co/uts7JpJZzN
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) September 18, 2025
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a recurring thorn in Trump’s side, also decried the decision as censorship while fellow politico, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, shared the of text First Amendment on his Instagram page.
“Buying and controlling media platforms. Firing commentators. Canceling shows. These aren’t coincidences,” Newsom wrote on X. “It’s coordinated. And it’s dangerous. The @GOP does not believe in free speech. They are censoring you in real time.”
Emmy-winning “Hacks” star Jean Smart echoed the sentiment, writing on Instagram that she was “horrified” by Kimmel’s suspension.
“What Jimmy said was FREE speech, not hate speech,” Smart said. “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?”
Jean Smart accepts the award for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for “Hacks” during the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
“This isn’t right,” Ben Stiller added.
“@jimmykimmel his humor, his insights are important to keep showing us who we are,” Henry Winkler echoed. “AND he is a most wonderful fellow.”
Comedian Kathy Griffin, a longtime Trump critic, also took issue with ABC’s decision. She previously caught serious flak for posing with a mask of Trump, made to look like a severed head.
“Please, take it from me, it’s very important to have Jimmy Kimmel’s back right now,” she wrote. She also called on people to be “be vocal” and to “be an ideological consumer,” emphasizing that “money is all their crowd cares about.”
Fellow funnywoman Wanda Sykes meanwhile took aim at the president with a video shared on Instagram.
“Let’s see,” she started. “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.”
Jimmy Kimmel and Wanda Sykes are pictured on April 21, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Waterkeeper Alliance)
Kimmel has joined a growing group of people facing professional punishment for voicing their opinions about the Kirk shooting. During a monologue on Monday, he suggested Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old accused of killing Kirk, appeared to align more with MAGA beliefs despite conservatives’ efforts to place blame on the left.
“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.
The late-night host also offered his condolences to Kirk’s family in the immediate aftermath of the deadly shooting.
https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/09/18/jimmy-kimmel-suspenzion-reactions-ben-stiller-gavin-newsom/
