Figures across the entertainment industry are coming together to stand with Jimmy Kimmel. On Monday, Sept. 22, the American Civil Liberties Union published a letter pushing back against “government threats to our freedom of speech” in the wake of the talk show host’s “indefinite” suspension last week following the death of Charlie Kirk. The organization collected more than 400 signatures on the letter, including Meryl Streep, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Olivia Rodrigo, Selena Gomez, Kerry Washington, Kathryn Hahn, and more.
“Last week, Jimmy Kimmel was taken off the air after the government threatened a private company with retaliation, marking a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation,” the letter reads. “In an attempt to silence its critics, our government has resorted to threatening the livelihoods of journalists, talk show hosts, artists, creatives, and entertainers across the board. This runs counter to the values our nation was built upon, and our Constitution guarantees.”
The signees who signed in solidarity each have different relationships with how they’ve used their platform in the past to speak against injustices and raise awareness. ACLU wrote, “Regardless of our political affiliation, or whether we engage in politics or not, we all love our country. We also share the belief that our voices should never be silenced by those in power — because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.”
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Additional names include Ben Platt, Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Gibson, Joe Keery, Billy Crystal, Maya Rudolph, America Ferrera, Amber Ruffin, Alan Cumming, Sharon Stone, Taylor Tomlinson, Tom Hanks, Zooey Deschanel, Judd Apatow, Joel Kim Booster, Joaquin Phoenix, Jane Fonda, Jamie Lee Curtis, Regina King, Ramy Youssef, Pedro Pascal, Pauline Chalamet, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and more.
“We know this moment is bigger than us and our industry. Teachers, government employees, law firms, researchers, universities, students and so many more are also facing direct attacks on their freedom of expression,” the letter continues. “This is the moment to defend free speech across our nation. We encourage all Americans to join us, along with the ACLU, in the fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights.”