In an unexpected turn of events that has shocked everyone in the entertainment business, Jimmy Kimmel has been suspended from ABC. With Kimmel off the air, a lot of people aren’t happy about it– including some of late night’s most influential voices.
The network hasn’t offered a clear explanation for the move, though reports are saying it’s due to a recent segment that stirred political backlash. Whatever the reason, his fellow hosts aren’t holding back.
Jon Stewart, who normally only appears on Mondays for “The Daily Show,” made a rare Thursday appearance to speak out.
“You may call it free speech in jolly old England, but in America, we have a little something called the First Amendment,” Stewart satirically stated after showing a clip of a British journalist asking Trump about Kimmel’s suspension. “Let me tell you how it works. There’s something called a talent-o-meter.” He goes on to explain that it’s a special device that sits on the president’s desk as a way to measure a performer’s TQ –”talent quotient, measured mostly by niceness to the president.”
Seth Meyers seems to have taken a similar approach, jokingly stating that anything bad he’s said about the president was fake. “I’ve always believed he was a visionary, an innovator, a great president and an even better golfer,” he said.
Stephen Colbert tackled this issue more directly, calling this suspension “blatant censorship” and opening his show with: “Tonight, we are all Jimmy Kimmel.”
“With an autocrat, you cannot give an inch,” Colbert goes on to say. “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%.”
Meanwhile, NBC’s Jimmy Fallon, the more cautious speaker in the bunch, stuck to complimenting Kimmel. “To be honest with you all, I don’t know what is going on. And no one does. But I do know Jimmy Kimmel and he is a decent, funny and loving guy, and I hope he comes back,” he said.
Fans have also taken to social media to support Kimmel, with hashtags like #StandWithKimmel trending.
So far, ABC hasn’t offered much clarity. One thing is clear, however: Kimmel is not alone. Whether or not you agree with everything he says, it’s clear his voice means something. His fellow hosts aren’t letting him be silenced without a fight.
