Several late-night television hosts are reacting to ABC’s decision to indefinitely pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” over Kimmel’s comments on Charlie Kirk.
One day after the comedian’s show was suspended, hosts like Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart and Seth Meyers spoke out in episodes that aired on Sept. 18. Fallon rooted for the return of his fellow late-night host, while Stewart called President Trump ‘perfectly tinted.’ Meyers also made comments about the president.
ABC pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air Sept. 17 after Brendan Carr, chairman of the FCC, pressured the network to take action over comments Kimmel made about Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer. Kimmel had said on his show Sept. 15 that the “MAGA gang” was “desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
Here’s more on how late-night television hosts are reacting.
Jimmy Fallon on Jimmy Kimmel suspension
On the Sept. 18 episode of “The Tonight Show,” Fallon addressed ABC’s controversial move to suspend Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show following pressure from the Federal Communications Commission.
“The big story is that Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by ABC after pressure from the FCC, leaving everyone thinking, ‘WTF?'” Fallon joked at the start of his monologue.
On a more serious note, Fallon came to Kimmel’s defense, telling viewers, “To be honest with you all, I don’t know what’s going on, and no one does. But I do know Jimmy Kimmel, and he’s a decent, funny and loving guy, and I hope he comes back.”
Fallon then joked around about concerns that late-night comedy shows will be “censored.” He vowed to continue covering President Donald Trump “just like I normally would,” but then a voiceover in the studio began dubbing over his words with over-the-top praise for the president.
Jon Stewart opening monologue
Jon Stewart made a surprise return to “The Daily Show” to discuss the news, although he typically only hosts the show on Mondays.
In Stewart’s highly sarcastic segment, the comedian acted deferential to President Donald Trump as if he were worried about being canceled next.
“Our great administration has laid out very clear rules on free speech,” he said sarcastically. “Now some naysayers may argue that this administration’s speech concerns are merely a cynical ploy. A thin gruel of a ruse. A smoke screen to obscure an unprecedented consolidation of power and unitarian intimidation and coldly antithetical to any experiment in a constitutional republic governance. Some people would say that. Not me though. I think it’s great.”
The monologue, posted on the Daily Show’s YouTube account, received nearly 3.4 million views in a few hours.
Seth Meyers monologue last night
On NBC’s “Late Night,” Seth Meyers said it’s a “privilege and an honor” to call Kimmel a friend and vowed to continue doing his show “the way we’ve always done it.”
“This is a big moment in our democracy and we must all stand up for the principles of free expression,” he added. “There’s a reason free speech is in the very first amendment. It stands above all others.”
Why was Jimmy Kimmel pulled off the air?
In his show’s opening monologue on Sept. 15, Kimmel said supporters of President Donald Trump were “desperately trying to characterize” Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old charged in Kirk’s murder, as “anything other than one of them.” Last week, Kimmel also criticized Trump for saying Democrats were responsible for Kirk’s death at a Utah campus on Sept. 10.
“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. In between the finger-pointing, there was, uh, grieving on Friday − the White House flew the flags at half-staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this.
Watch Kimmel’s monologue below:
USA Today contributed to this story.
Natassia Paloma may be reached at [email protected], @NatassiaPaloma on Twitter, natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma Thompson on Facebook.
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This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Watch as late-night hosts react to Jimmy Kimmel suspension
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