Dennis Quaid is weighing in on Jimmy Kimmel’s controversial comments about Charlie Kirk.
“You have the right to free speech, and he certainly had the right to do that,” Quaid, 71, shared on the Tuesday, September 23, episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored. “I would definitely give him that. But there are consequences that come with it, and you have to accept those if you’re going to speak freely like that.”
During the September 15 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel, 57, shared his thoughts about accused killer Tyler Robinson after Kirk was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University on September 10.
“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 with everything they can to score political points from,” Kimmel said. “In between the finger pointing, there was grieving.”
Kimmel also questioned how close President Donald Trump was to Kirk before showing a clip of the commander in chief talking to reporters about the White House ballroom construction after he was asked how he was coping with Kirk’s death.
“This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend,” Kimmel claimed. “This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”
Days after the episode aired, a spokesperson for ABC confirmed to Us Weekly that Kimmel was being taken off the air. (He is expected to return Tuesday night.)
“Originally it was, the local affiliates are the ones that complained, I guess, because of people calling in to complain, and they’re also losing ratings, and I think it was a business issue,” Quaid theorized about Kimmel’s show briefly being pulled. “But you have to accept the consequences.”
Nexstar Media, which owns multiple TV stations, reportedly threatened to eliminate the late night show from its lineup. The company previously told Variety in a statement they “strongly” objected to “recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk.”
The Walt Disney Company ultimately announced on Monday, September 22, that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would resume taping on Tuesday.
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” a statement read.“It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”
The Sinclair Broadcast Group, which oversees 38 ABC stations including one serving Washington, D.C., said in a Monday, September 22, statement that they will continue to preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! despite the talk show’s return to the network.
Amid the controversy, Quaid pointed out that he has been on Kimmel’s show numerous times and has always had a positive experience.
“I’ve done Jimmy Kimmel over the years when I’m promoting a movie or whatever,” Quaid — who identifies as independent — added. “He was always a very kind guy.”