Hollywood has been responding to the decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel off air due to his comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
On the Monday (September 15) episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the 57-year-old host discussed the incident during his opening monologue.
According to NBC News, Kimmel remarked: “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.
“And in between the finger pointing, there was 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.”
Kimmel also criticized Donald Trump for setting aside his supposed grief to prioritize the construction of the White House’s new $200 million state ballroom.
“Yes, he’s at the fourth stage of grief: construction. Demolition, construction. This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK?” Kimmel said.
In response to these comments, ABC decided to suspend Jimmy Kimmel Live ‘indefinitely’.
A spokesperson for ABC informed BBC News: “Jimmy Kimmel Live will be pre-empted indefinitely.”
This decision has received backlash from numerous celebrities, including one slated to appear on the show on Wednesday (September 17).
The stand-up comedian took to Instagram to announce her planned appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, which was canceled due to the show going off air.
In a video posted on Instagram, she criticized the president.
She stated: “Let’s see. He didn’t end the Ukraine war or solve Gaza within his first week. But he did end freedom of speech within his first year. Hey, for those of you who pray, now’s the time to do it. Love you, Jimmy.”
The comedian added on Instagram: “I’ve spent a lot of time in public + private defending comedians I don’t agree with. If you’re a comedian + don’t call out the insanity of pulling Kimmel off the air — don’t bother spouting off about free speech anymore.”
A US commentator also weighed in on the issue, stating on X: “This is the most straightforward attack on free speech from state actors I’ve ever seen in my life and it’s not even close.”
The journalist and attorney shared their thoughts on social media, commenting: “Just think for a minute about the amount of IRATE mail/viewer feedback they must have gotten to do this.”
Bush, known for her role on One Tree Hill, reacted on Twitter by stating: “The First Amendment doesn’t exist in America anymore. Period. Fascism is here and it’s chilling.”