ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel welcomed actor Ethan Hawke to his Wednesday show to promote his new TV show, The Lowdown. However, before that, Hawke compared Kimmel’s recent suspension to being sent to a Russian gulag. Kimmel agreed with the sentiment, claiming it is “hard to tell the difference” between the gulag and the United States.
After some joking about how Kimmel is taking the show to Brooklyn next week and the Brooklyn-based Hawke flew out to Los Angeles for this interview, Hawke recalled he was supposed to do it earlier, “Then there was, like, some weird delay. I didn't get to go on when I was supposed to go on… I don’t watch the news much. I don't know what that was about.”
Kimmel replied, “Yeah, you were a victim of the preemption. Well, I’m glad to have you out here.”
That’s when Hawke made his analogy, “Well, I'm glad to have you back in the United States of America… I was told you were sent to a Russian gulag, but luckily, you're back.”
An appreciative Kimmel concurred, “Thank you. I appreciate that. It's hard to tell the difference now between the gulags and the United States.”
Hawke then had some final bits of praise, “But last night was amazing. And we're all really proud of you.”
Kimmel was suspended for his remarks that MAGA was "desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
That is a conspiracy theory that Kimmel still hasn’t addressed, and no serious discussion about President Trump or FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s role in this story can occur until that point is made. Ultimately, Kimmel was suspended because of his actions and returned a week later. He’s not exactly Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
Here is a transcript for the September 24 show:
ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live!
9/24/2025
11:56 PM ET
JIMMY KIMMEL: You live in Brooklyn, right?
ETHAN HAWKE: I live in—when you just said that, I’m like “why didn't you have me on then? It would have saved me the flight.”
KIMMEL: It's really bad planning because you did fly out here for this.
HAWKE: Yeah, and then there was, like, some weird delay. I didn't get to go on when I was supposed to go on.
KIMMEL: Oh, that’s right.
HAWKE: I don't know, I don’t watch the news much. I don't know what that was about.
KIMMEL: Yeah, you were a victim of the preemption. Well, I’m glad to have you out here.
HAWKE: Well, I'm glad to have you back in the United States of America.
KIMMEL: You were told that I left?
HAWKE: I was told you were sent to a Russian gulag, but luckily, you're back.
KIMMEL: Thank you. I appreciate that. It's hard to tell the difference now between the gulags and the United States.
HAWKE: But last night was amazing. And we're all really proud of you.
KIMMEL: Oh, that’s nice.