By Anurag Kumar

Copyright timesnownews

The debate over free speech has once again taken centre stage in the United States, following the suspension of comedian Jimmy Kimmel over comments he made regarding the killing of Charlie Kirk. Kimmel’s suspension has sparked widespread support from fellow late-night hosts, reigniting discussions about the limits of free expression in America. President Donald Trump has suggested that TV networks providing him with “bad publicity” could face the loss of their licences, raising concerns about the administration’s authority. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning from a state visit to the UK, Trump said, “I mean, they’re getting a licence. I would think maybe their licence should be taken away.” Kimmel’s controversial comments targeted the reaction of Trump supporters to the Charlie Kirk murder suspect, saying they had tried to “characterise this kid as anything other than one of them.” The remarks set off a wave of debate across the nation’s television landscape. TV Hosts Step Up for Free Speech Stephen Colbert opened his show by declaring, “We are all Jimmy Kimmel,” calling Kimmel’s removal a “blatant assault on freedom of speech.” Seth Meyers echoed this sentiment, calling it “a privilege and honour to call Jimmy Kimmel my friend,” while Jon Stewart and Jimmy Fallon addressed the issue through satirical sketches portraying themselves as reluctantly praising President Trump. Meyers, host of NBC’s Late Night, began his Thursday show by stating, “Trump’s administration was pursuing a crackdown on free speech,” before adding sarcastically, “And completely unrelated, I just want to say before we get started here that I’ve always admired and respected Mr Trump.” To audience laughter, he continued: “I’ve always believed he was a visionary, an innovator, a great president and an even better golfer.” Highlighting the irony, Meyers played clips of Trump declaring he had banned government censorship and restored free speech in America. He continued, “It is a privilege and honour to call Jimmy Kimmel my friend, in the same way it’s a privilege and honour to do this show every night. I wake up every day and I count my blessings to live in a country that at least purports to value freedom of speech. And we’re going to keep doing our show the way we’ve always done it – with enthusiasm and integrity…” On CBS, Colbert stood firmly behind Kimmel, saying, “To Jimmy, I say I stand with you and your staff 100%.” He described the suspension as “blatant censorship” and “the latest and boldest action in a long campaign against media critics.” On NBC’s The Tonight Show, Fallon told viewers, “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.” Meanwhile, Stewart adopted a satirical approach on Comedy Central, portraying himself as a “patriotically obedient host” of a government-approved Daily Show, fawning over Trump’s “charm, elegance and undeniable sexual charisma.” Stewart later asked his correspondents if Trump was stifling free speech, to which they replied in robotic unison, “Of course not Jon. Americans are free to express any opinion we want. To suggest otherwise is laughable. Ha ha ha.” Even veteran host David Letterman weighed in at The Atlantic Festival in New York, saying, “I feel bad about this, because we all see where this is going, correct? It’s managed media. It’s no good. It’s silly. It’s ridiculous.” Debate Over Limits of Free Speech Not all television hosts see Kimmel as a free speech martyr. On conservative-leaning Fox News, Greg Gutfeld said, “People come up to me and go, ‘If you’re a comedian and you’re on TV, you should be upset by this’. I’m not really.” Gutfeld argued that free speech has limits on network television and noted that many defending Kimmel had previously sought to silence right-wing commentators. Former CNN presenter Piers Morgan added that Kimmel had caused “understandable outrage all over America,” questioning, “Why is he being heralded as some kind of free speech martyr?” The Suspension That Sparked a National Debate Kimmel’s suspension stems from comments he made during his Monday monologue. He said the “Maga gang” were “desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them” and accused Trump of reacting like “a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.” Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, described Kimmel’s remarks as “sick” and threatened action, claiming the comedian had appeared to “directly mislead the American public.” Conservative critics argue Kimmel pushed a false narrative by suggesting Kirk’s suspected killer was a “Make America Great Again” supporter. Before Kimmel’s comments, Utah’s governor stated that the suspect was allegedly “indoctrinated by leftist ideology.” As the country grapples with Kimmel’s suspension, the debate over the limits of free speech, particularly in media, remains a flashpoint in an increasingly polarised America. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News and around the World.