In an unprecedented show of solidarity, the titans of late-night television have rallied around their colleague Jimmy Kimmel, as President Trump escalates his rhetoric and directly threatens to strip broadcast licenses from networks that dare to criticize him. The rare, unified response from hosts across the dial marks a dramatic escalation of the ongoing battle between the administration and the American media, turning a broadcast controversy into a high-stakes showdown over the future of the First Amendment.
The chorus of support for Kimmel followed the stunning news that ABC had indefinitely suspended his show in the wake of comments he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The suspension was preceded by a public condemnation from FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump appointee, who called Kimmel’s remarks “sick” and hinted at regulatory action. On Thursday, President Trump himself weighed in, celebrating the suspension on social media and telling reporters that networks giving him “only bad press” might have their “licenses…taken away.”
The thinly veiled threats and the silencing of one of their own prompted a series of uncharacteristically serious and often satirical monologues from Kimmel’s peers.
- Stephen Colbert, whose own show was canceled by CBS earlier this year in a move many believed was politically motivated, used his platform to deliver a somber warning. “We are all Jimmy Kimmel,” he told his audience, later adding, “With an autocrat, you cannot give an inch… if ABC thinks this is going to satisfy the regime, they are woefully naive.”
- Jon Stewart, making a surprise appearance on The Daily Show, delivered a biting satire on the new rules of free speech, joking that in America, we now have a “talent-o-meter” that measures a performer’s loyalty to the president. “It’s managed media. And it’s no good,” Stewart later said at a public event. “It’s silly. It’s ridiculous. You can’t go around firing somebody because you’re fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian criminal administration.”
- Seth Meyers opened his show by sarcastically praising the president, claiming any past negative comments must have been “just AI,” before delivering a heartfelt defense of Kimmel and free expression. “It is a privilege and an honor to call Jimmy Kimmel my friend, in the same way that it’s a privilege and honor to do this show every night,” he said.
- Jimmy Fallon also used his monologue to express solidarity, telling his audience, “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.”
The unified response from Kimmel’s colleagues signals a new and more confrontational era for late-night television. For years, the shows have offered a mix of comedy and political commentary, often at the risk of alienating half the country. But with the suspension of a peer and the explicit threats from the highest office, the stakes are now existential. The conflict is no longer just a media feud but a full-blown constitutional and political showdown, with the freedom of the press and the soul of a democratic institution hanging in the balance.