Jimmy Kimmel’s right to free speech is not up for debate
Since Jimmy Kimmel’s sudden exit from late-night television, many have questioned the government’s attempts to control television.
The Thursday, Nov. 6, episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was suddenly postponed, leaving viewers to watch a rebroadcast instead.
The episode starring “Malice” actor David Duchovny and “Stranger Things” star Joe Keery was not filmed due to personal issues involving Jimmy Kimmel, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Viewers who were expecting a new episode instead rewatched a rerun of the October 28 episode. Fans with tickets to the Nov. 6 taping at Los Angeles’ El Capitan Theater have been notified of the postponement and have been invited to attend a future taping, Deadline reported.
Pop singer Madison Beer, who was scheduled to be the musical guest for the episode, confirmed the episode’s postponement on her Instagram Story.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, Jimmy Kimmel Live has had to reschedule my performance, originally scheduled to air tonight, to a later date. I will share time details when I am able. I can’t wait for everyone to see it,” Biel wrote.
It is unclear whether guests Duchovny, Keely and Beal will return to complete the taping as originally scheduled.
Representatives for Mr. Duchovny and Mr. Keeley did not respond to USA TODAY’s requests for comment.
Postponement after series interruption
After Thursday’s postponement, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was held for the first time. The show has been on hiatus since ABC canceled the talk show in September following outrage over his comments about the shooting of Charlie Kirk.
The six-day suspension began Sept. 17, following Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s criticism of Kimmel’s Sept. 15 monologue. Shortly after, both Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcasting Group announced that the program would no longer be aired on ABC affiliates.
The show returned to ABC on September 23, when the comedian criticized critics’ reactions to his comments, calling them “deliberately, and I think maliciously, misleading.” Kimmel stressed that he “never intended to make light of” Kirk’s death.
Kirk’s wife, Erica Kirk, recently said she spoke with Sinclair Broadcast Group following Kimmel’s controversial comments about her late husband.
“They asked, ‘Do you want Jimmy to apologize? Do you want to be on the show? How can we make this work?'” Kirk said. “Through our team, I responded: ‘Thank them. We got their memo. This is not our problem. This is not our mess,'” she told Jesse Waters in a Fox News interview that aired on Nov. 5.
