Topline
Hundreds of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities, including Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, have signed an open letter condemning ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show following the host’s comments on the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The letter, published by the American Civil Liberties Union Monday morning, calls Kimmel’s suspension a “dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation” and accuses the government of “threatening private companies and individuals that the President disagrees with.”
More than 400 artists in total signed the letter, according to the ACLU, which calls ABC’s suspension of Kimmel “unconstitutional and un-American.”
“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,” the letter states, adding the signatories believe “voices should never be silenced by those in power – because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.
Among the hundreds of signatories are Oscar winners Streep, Hanks, Natalie Portman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Robert De Niro, Joaquin Phoenix, Ariana DeBose, Frances McDormand, Regina King and Jane Fonda. Fellow comedians joined in to support Kimmel, including Chelsea Handler and Rosie O’Donnell, both of whom previously hosted their own talk shows, as well as Rachel Dratch, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Maya Rudolph, Cecily Strong, Ilana Glazer, Billy Eichner and Chelsea Peretti. Singers Olivia Rodrigo and Selena Gomez also signed the letter. Another signatory is actress Jean Smart, who recently won another Emmy for her performance in “Hacks”—which featured a cameo from Kimmel on its most recent season and features a similar plot in which Smart’s character’s late-night show is yanked off the air following a dispute with the broadcast company. Other signatories include Ben Stiller, Sarah Paulson, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Cynthia Nixon, Diego Luna, Kerry Washington, Regina Hall, Alan Cumming, Florence Pugh, Jonathan Groff, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Pedro Pascal.
Last week, ABC announced it would “indefinitely” pause airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” days after the host addressed Kirk’s assassination in one of his opening monologues. On his Monday, Sept. 15 show, Kimmel said: “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 and doing everything they can to score political points from it.” Kimmel also knocked President Donald Trump for quickly pivoting to talking about his planned White House ballroom after a reporter asked him about Kirk. Prior to ABC’s announcement, media company Nexstar, which owns many local ABC affiliates, said it would cease airing Kimmel’s show, calling the host’s comments “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse.” Nexstar is seeking FCC approval to acquire broadcast company TEGNA, and both Trump and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr celebrated Nexstar and ABC’s decisions to pull the show. Kimmel’s fellow late-night hosts, though not signatories of the ACLU letter, rallied around Kimmel in their monologues late last week, including Stephen Colbert, whose cancellation by CBS also sparked controversy. Colbert called Kimmel’s suspension “blatant censorship,” stating “with an autocrat, you cannot give an inch, and if ABC thinks this is going to satisfy the regime, they are woefully naive.” Kimmel’s suspension has become a flashpoint for free speech and sparked some protests, though Kimmel has not yet commented.
Kimmel’s Charlie Kirk Monologues Surge In Viewership After Suspension—As ABC Leaves Up Video Clips (Forbes)
ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel ‘Indefinitely’ After Charlie Kirk Comments: Here’s What He Said (Forbes)