Hundreds of stars and creators have signed an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) letter supporting comedian Jimmy Kimmel after his indefinite suspension by ABC, which had faced pressure from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chief.
“We the people must never accept government threats to our freedom of speech. Efforts by leaders to pressure artists, journalists, and companies with retaliation for their speech strike at the heart of what it means to live in a free country,” states the letter.
It is signed by movie stars including Robert De Niro, Kirsten Dunst, Ben Stiller and Florence Pugh, music icons such as Cyndi Lauper and Lin-Manuel Miranda and a number of comedians, including Cecily Strong, Amber Ruffin, Jordan Klepper and Gianmarco Soresi.
“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 continues.
“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.”
“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 states.
The FCC chief last week called on broadcasters to push back on Kimmel over remarks he made about the suspect in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist.
FCC chair Brandan Carr last week on a podcast with right-wing influencer Benny Johnson said that “licensed broadcasters” needed to push back at ABC over Kimmel’s remarks.
The same day, Nexstar Media Group, which owns NewsNation and The Hill, among other properties, said its affiliate stations in dozens of local markets would drop the comedian’s show indefinitely over his remarks. ABC suspended Kimmel a short time later. Nexstar had recently announced plans to acquire rival company Tegna as part of a massive deal that will require FCC approval.
In the remarks that led to the controversy, Kimmel suggested Kirk suspect Tyler Robinson was MAGA. A day before Kimmel’s Sept. 15 remarks, reports had suggested Robinson’s politics had moved to the left and that he may have been motivated by anti-transgender remarks by Kirk. Critics of Kimmel have suggested he was deliberately misstating Robinson’s background.
Other talks show hosts have rushed to Kimmel’s defense, including CBS host Stephen Colbert. His show is ending next spring, and while CBS has said it was a financial decision, many have questioned whether a larger financial deal involving the network that also needed FCC approval played a role.
“We have another fun, hilarious administration-compliant show,” “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart joked during a special edition of the show Thursday.
“Tonight, we are all Jimmy Kimmel,” Colbert said at the beginning of one of his shows.
The Hill has reached out to the White House and Disney for comment.
