Following ABC‘s shocking decision to indefinitely pull Jimmy Kimmel Live, Hollywood and media personalities are calling out the network on social media.
With Kimmel becoming the latest after Stephen Colbert and Matthew Dowd to suffer similar a fate, supporters are speaking out about ABC’s announcement that the late-night show will be “preempted indefinitely,” following the FCC‘s warning about his Charlie Kirk comments.
President Donald Trump wasted no time in celebrating the demise of Jimmy Kimmel Live, also putting Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers on notice.
“Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT,” he wrote on Truth Social.
Meanwhile, an overwhelming majority of social media posts called out ABC’s decision as an attack on free speech, including California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom. “Buying and controlling media platforms. Firing commentators. Canceling shows. These aren’t coincidences. It’s coordinated. And it’s dangerous,” he wrote on X. “The @GOP does not believe in free speech. They are censoring you in real time.”
“This is the actual cancel culture everyone claims to hate so much,” wrote The Paper‘s Alex Edelman on X.
Ben Stiller simply wrote, “This isn’t right.”
Michael Keaton shared a handwritten note that read, “ABC, NBC, CBS, stand up!!! Stand the f— up!!!”
The Daily Show‘s Michael Kosta pointed to the First Amendment on his Instagram Story, writing, “This is a serious moment in American history. TV networks MUST push back. This is complete BS.”
Chris Hayes, whose MSNBC colleague Dowd was recently fired over comments about Kirk, also spoke up. “This is the most straightforward attack on free speech from state actors I’ve ever seen in my life and it’s not even close,” he wrote on X.
“EVERY CORPORATION IS INSTANTLY FOLDING TO THE ADMIN EVEN WHEN ITS OVER AN UTTERLY INOFFENSIVE JOKE THE ADMIN DOESNT LIKE!” wrote Hasan Piker on X. “LIBERALS NEED TO WAKE UP!!!! WE ALL HAVE TO FIGHT BACK, THESE WEALTHY ASSHOLES ARENT GOING TO STAND UP FOR ANYTHING BEYOND THEIR BOTTOM LINE!”
The stunning dropping of Kimmel comes mere minutes after Nexstar axed his late night show on the 32 ABC affiliates it owns out of a total of 200 stations throughout the nation.
“Nexstar’s owned and partner television stations affiliated with the ABC Television Network will preempt Jimmy Kimmel Live! for the foreseeable future beginning with tonight’s show,” said the company in a statement Wednesday. “Nexstar strongly objects to recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk and will replace the show with other programming in its ABC-affiliated markets.”
Known for his ‘Prove Me Wrong’ debates and MAGA POV, activist Kirk was shot dead at Utah Valley University on September 10 in a tragedy that has sent shock through the political and media worlds.
