Late-night hosts gather behind Jimmy Kimmel after ABC suspension
Stephen Colbert, Seth Myers and John Stewart respond to the threats from Jimmy Kimmel’s ABC suspension and the FCC.
Knowing one or two things about being pulled away from the air in ABC, Bill Maher stands by Jimmy Kimmel.
On a September 19 episode of his HBO show “Real Time,” the comedian defended “my friend” Kimmel after ABC stopped “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”. The hosts commented on Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting.
Maher relates Kimmel’s suspension to his own experience of having an ABC show “Political Record.” The airing continued after Maha’s “politically wrong” remarks, and ABC defended the show as “a forum for expressing diverse opinions in our country,” but was cancelled in 2002 at the end of the television season.
“It was 24 years since I commented on ABC that was cancelled from that network. Jimmy Kimmel took my slot,” Maher said, describing this as a “strange” coincidence.
“Ah, yes, it was cancelled before the cancellation had a culture.”
The comedian added that the situation is “new,” and that “ABC won’t always be a cave.”
Maher continued, “Jimmy, I’m with you, I support you, and on the bright side, you don’t have to pretend to like Disneyland anymore.”
Kimmel’s pause comes after the “Magagang” said on his show that he “deeply tries to characterize this child who is “doing everything he can to kill Charlie Kirk as something other than one person and score political points from there.”
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Kerr claimed Kimmel misunderstood the audience by implying that Kirk’s murderer Tyler Robinson is a great and once again supporter of the movement. The comic’s late-night show was suspended on September 17th as it appeared that Kerr publicly threatened to take action against Kimmel.
Speaking about “real-time,” Maher said he supports Kimmel despite his opposition to his comments. Maher argued that attempting to classify the suspected murderer as part of a political “team” was “a fool’s business.”
“Look, I don’t think what he said is exactly right,” Maher said. “I won’t. We don’t agree with it. He shouldn’t lose his job because of it.”
The comedian added, “You’re wrong, or you have the right to have the opinion you want. That’s all about the first revision.”
Kimmel has not been fired from ABC, but Maher has sent a message to the comedian in case his show is not brought home.
“Jimmy, just let me tell you, you’ve done a great, funny show over the course of 20 years,” he said. “You should be proud of it. If this firing goes for me for you, for you, you will get 23 years with a better network.”
Within his suspension, all major late-night hosts gathered around Kimmel. “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert denounced the ABC move as “blatant censorship,” while “late night” host Seth Meyers said “all have to stand up to the principles of free expression.”
“The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon praised Kimmel as “a decent, funny and loving man,” adding, “I hope he comes back.”
