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Stephen Colbert<\/a> weighed in on the Jimmy Kimmel<\/a> drama on Thursday\u2019s (September 18) The Late Show<\/em><\/a>, calling ABC\u2019s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel Live!<\/em><\/a> off the air a \u201cblatant assault on freedom of speech.\u201d He also brought back his beloved right-wing cable news pundit persona from his days on Comedy Central<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cTonight, we are all\u00a0Jimmy Kimmel,\u201d Colbert said at the top of Thursday\u2019s monologue, reminding viewers how ABC suspended Kimmel \u201cindefinitely\u201d<\/a> after threats from Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr related to comments Kimmel made about the Charlie Kirk<\/a> shooting on Monday\u2019s (September 14) show.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is blatant censorship,\u201d Colbert continued, adding \u201cit always starts small\u201d and noting how, at the start of President Donald Trump<\/a>\u2018s presidency, he wanted to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.<\/p>\n \u201cSure, seems harmless, but with an autocrat, you cannot give an inch!\u201d the late-night host stated. \u201cAnd to Jimmy and all his staff, I stand with you one hundred per cent, and also\u2026 You couldn\u2019t let me enjoy this for like one week,\u201d he quipped, taking out his Emmy trophy.<\/p>\n After airing a clip of Kimmel\u2019s supposedly offensive comments, Colbert stated, \u201cGiven the FCC response, I was expecting something more provocative. That\u2019s like hearing that Playboy has a racy new center folder, and finding out it\u2019s just Jimmy Kimmel.\u201d<\/p>\n Colbert then turned his attention to Carr, airing his statements where he made thinly veiled threats to ABC affiliates in order to pressure ABC to pull Kimmel off the air.<\/p>\n \u201cShortly after Carr makes his statements about ABC, Kimmel gets yanked off the air. This decision came after senior executives at ABC, Disney and affiliates convened emergency meetings during which multiple execs felt that Kimmel had not actually said anything over the line, but the threat of Trump administration retaliation loomed,\u201d Colbert continued.<\/p>\n \u201cAs one source at ABC put it, they were pissing themselves all day. On the bright side, that proves Disney is No. 1 in streaming,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n Elsewhere on Thursday\u2019s Late Show<\/em>, the comedian resurrected his right-wing cable news persona from The Colbert Report<\/em><\/a> and brought back his popular segment The Word. Colbert launched into a Republican-favored monologue about how Americans should never \u201ccomplain, no matter what the President does,\u201d while text in a side-chyron contradicted his words.<\/p>\n \u201cGive up, America. Just give up and stop saying anything that might upset the president,\u201d Colbert concluded the segment. \u201cIf you think that\u2019s a terrible idea, no, you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n You can watch Colbert\u2019s full opening monologue and The Word segment in the videos above and let us know your thoughts below.<\/p>\n