The past few weeks have erupted in a whirlwind of protest over free speech in the media after two late-night programs were unexpectedly pulled. Late-night TV hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert appeared as guests on each other\u2019s shows Tuesday night to exchange woes over the cancellation of their shows\u2014temporarily for Kimmel and indefinitely for Colbert.<\/p>\n <\/a> Youtube Video<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/a> play button<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Kimmel first joined Colbert on The<\/em>\u00a0Late Show with Stephen Colbert<\/em> on CBS. The host was welcomed by thundering applause as he sat for his first interview since ABC temporarily suspended his show last month. \u201cI am so honored to be here with my fellow no-talent, late-night loser,\u201d the late-night comedian joked, referencing insults President Donald Trump has thrown at the two.<\/p>\n Network executives cut the show after hearing Kimmel\u2019s opening monologue from Monday, Sept. 15. The monologue referenced the recent shooting of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk: \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The Walt Disney Company deemed the comment as \u201cill-timed\u201d and \u201cinsensitive,\u201d suspending the show indefinitely.<\/a> Recounting the ordeal as an \u201cemotional rollercoaster,\u201d Kimmel explained he was preparing for his next show when he got the call.<\/p>\n RELATED ARTICLE<\/p>\n ABC Brings Back Jimmy Kimmel\u2019s Show After Mass Protests<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThey say, listen, we want to take the temperature down. We\u2019re concerned about what you\u2019re going to say tonight, and we decided that the best route is to take the show off the air,\u201d Kimmel told Colbert. \u201cI thought, that\u2019s it. It\u2019s over, it\u2019s over. I was like, I\u2019m never coming back on the air.\u201d<\/p>\n The decision sparked national outrage over the stifling of free speech and attacks made by the Trump administration. Thousands upon thousands threatened to cancel their Disney+ subscriptions, costing the company billions of dollars. ABC and its affiliates reversed the decision last week, and Kimmel returned to air this past Tuesday.<\/p>\n <\/a> Youtube Video<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/a> play button<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Kimmel welcomed his late-night colleague to Jimmy Kimmel Live!<\/em> next. Met with roaring cheers from the crowd, Colbert sat down to discuss the permanent cancellation of his show. The long-time host said his manager informed him about the decision after he returned from vacation. He broke the news to the audience after his show that day.<\/p>\n \u201cI was so nervous about doing it right, cause there was nothing in the (tele)prompter, I was just speaking off the cuff,\u201d Colbert told Kimmel. \u201cThey started going, \u2018You can, come on Stephen, you can do it,\u2019 because I always messed up on the sentence that told them what was happening. And then I got to the sentence that actually told them what\u2019s happening, and they didn\u2019t laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n CBS announced the decision back in July, saying the show would end for good in May 2026. The network claimed the show was cut for purely financial reasons, though fans are skeptical. Coincidentally, the plug was pulled just days after Colbert criticized CBS\u2019s parent company, Paramount Global, for settling a 16 million dollar lawsuit with President Trump<\/a>. Unlike Kimmel, Colbert\u2019s show will end indefinitely.<\/p>\n RELATED ARTICLE<\/p>\n Late-Night Hosts Colbert, Meyers, and Stewart Defend Kimmel u0026 Free Speech<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Jimmy Kimmel Joins The<\/em> Late Show<\/em> with Stephen Colbert<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Late Night <\/strong><\/em>with Stephen Colbert Cancelled For Good<\/strong><\/h2>\n