Bill Maher, who knows a thing or two about being pulled off the air at ABC, is standing by Jimmy Kimmel.
On the Sept. 19 episode of his HBO show “Real Time,” the comedian defended “my friend” Kimmel after ABC suspended “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” over comments the host made about the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.
Maher related Kimmel’s suspension to his own experience of having his ABC show, “Politically Incorrect,” canceled after sparking backlash for saying the terrorists who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks were not cowards. “Politically Incorrect” continued airing after Maher’s remarks, and ABC defended the show as a “forum for the expression of our nation’s diverse opinions,” but it was canceled in 2002 at the end of the TV season.
Bill Maher came to Jimmy Kimmel’s defense after the comedian’s ABC late-night show was suspended.
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“It was 24 years to the day that I made comments on ABC that got me canceled from that network, and Jimmy Kimmel took my slot,” Maher said, describing this as a “weird” coincidence.
“Oh, yes, I got canceled before cancel even had a culture.”
The comedian said the situation isn’t “new,” adding, “ABC stands for always be caving.”
Maher continued, “Jimmy, pal, I am with you, I support you, and on the bright side, you don’t have to pretend anymore that you like Disneyland.”
Kimmel’s suspension came after he said on his show that “the MAGA gang” was “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.”
Bill Maher performs during New York Comedy Festival on Nov. 5, 2016, in New York City.
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Brendan Carr, chairman of the FCC, argued Kimmel misled his audience by implying that Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson, is a supporter of President Donald Trump‘s Make America Great Again movement. After Carr seemed to publicly threaten ABC to take action against Kimmel, the comic’s late-night show was suspended on Sept. 17.
Speaking on “Real Time,” Maher said he supports Kimmel, despite disagreeing with his comments. Maher argued it’s a “fool’s errand” to try to classify alleged murderers as being part of one political “team” or another.
“Look, I don’t think what he said was exactly right,” Maher said. “I don’t. We don’t agree on that. He shouldn’t lose his job for it.”
The comedian added, “You have the right to be wrong, or to have any opinion you want. That’s what the First Amendment is all about.”
Kimmel has not been fired from ABC, but Maher sent a message to the comedian in case his show is not brought back.
“Jimmy, let me just say, pal, you did a great, funny show for two decades,” he said. “You should be proud of that. If this firing goes for you the way it did for me, you’ll get 23 years on a better network.”
All of the major late-night hosts have rallied around Kimmel amid his suspension. “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert decried ABC’s move as “blatant censorship,” while “Late Night” host Seth Meyers said that “we must all stand up for the principles of free expression.”
“The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon also praised Kimmel as a “decent, funny and loving guy,” adding, “I hope he comes back.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bill Maher weighs in on Jimmy Kimmel’s ABC suspension
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