John Oliver has come to the defense of Jimmy Kimmel, declaring the latter’s recent suspension as a blatant attempt at government censorship of free speech. In a segment on HBO’s Last Week Tonight, Oliver argued that Kimmel’s absence from television is more indicative of politically charged influence than a mere programming decision.
Oliver, age 48, pressed ABC and its parent company, Disney, to “support Kimmel and his team” in light of what he views as undue pressure to remove Jimmy Kimmel Live! from their lineup. He suggested that public action might influence the network: “You could always cancel your Disney+ or Hulu subscriptions. As it happens, those cancellation searches have spiked recently,” he quipped during his show aired on Sunday, September 21.
The controversy ignited on September 17 when ABC announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would be “pulled indefinitely” following backlash over Kimmel’s comments regarding Charlie Kirk’s alleged murderer, Tyler Robinson. Kimmel described a disturbing trend in weekend commentary, critiquing the MAGA crowd’s attempt to reframe the narrative around the tragic incident.
The call for repercussions against Kimmel reached a new height with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Brendan Carr suggesting network owners “push back” against ABC by refusing to air Kimmel’s show. Following this directive, major ABC affiliates such as Nexstar and Sinclair opted to remove Kimmel’s show from programming, prompting ABC to retract it from the nationwide schedule.
Oliver contended that ABC and Disney still have “the opportunity to make a principled decision.” He recognized the temptation to avoid confrontation, yet cautioned that such capitulation had previously drawn the network into murky waters, citing a substantial $15 million settlement in December 2024 related to a defamation suit involving Trump.
Addressing Disney CEO Bob Iger, Oliver warned, “Handing over your lunch money to a bully doesn’t lead to peaceful coexistence; it only encourages more insatiable demands.”
Oliver underscored the gravity of this situation, stating, “If we allow the government to force a network to erase a late-night talk show in such a visible manner, we are setting a dangerous precedent for further governmental overreach.”
In addition, he contextualized the significance of Kimmel’s comments that triggered the backlash, explaining, “Kimmel never belittled Charlie Kirk; rather, he pointed out the right’s eagerness to manipulate the narrative around his tragic death—a perspective that has only gained traction in light of recent events.”
Ultimately, Oliver posed a provocative challenge, “This is a pivotal moment. Instead of falling into the old habits of inaction, why not stand firm and draw the line here?”
