Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel’s fellow stateside TV host, has defended his pal as he criticizes the decision to axe his show.
Stephen Colbert has jumped to the defence of pal and fellow TV presenter Jimmy Kimmel following ABC’s decision to axe his show. Jimmy Kimmel Live! was pulled “indefinitely” following the presenter’s comments regarding the death of activist Charlie Kirk.
Now, following Donald Trump’s celebrating of the announcement, Colbert has hit out at the president and ABC’s call on the situation. He blasted the decision as “blatant censorship” in a rant which also saw him label Trump an “autocrat”.
Colbert began his monologue on Thursday by saying, “I’m your host, Steven Colbert, but tonight we’re all Jimmy Kimmel,” and he’s taken to the screens behind his own late-night talk show.
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You cannot give an inch without an autocrat, he continued. I firmly agree with you and your staff, Jimmie. He dedicated his show to the audience, his employees, and free speech.
A day earlier, Jimmy took to the ABC programme to call out what he said he thought was hypocrisy in how Republicans have responded to the death of Kirk. However, his actions were met with a heavy hand by bosses at the organisation her pulled his show from air.
The broadcasting division of Nexstar, according to Andrew Alford, president of the company, “strongly objected” to Kimmel’s remarks. President Trump expressed his joy after making the choice.
The POTUS congratulated ABC on Truth Social and said Kimmel had “no talent.” However, his opinions weren’t shared by everyone, and a number of famous people were quick to criticize the ax.
Colbert criticized the decision in a letter to Hollywood legends like Ben Stiller and British comedian John Bishop. On social media, Henry Winkler also expressed his support for Kimmel.
However, Piers Morgan seems to side with Trump’s way of thinking. He questioned why members of the public were heralding the presenter as a ‘free speech martyr’ following his suspension.
The former Good Morning Britain star claimed on Twitter/X: “Jimmy Kimmel lied about Charlie Kirk’s assassin being MAGA. This caused understandable outrage all over America, prompted TV station owners to say they wouldn’t air him, and he’s now been suspended by his employers. Why is he being heralded as some kind of free speech martyr?”
Colbert is facing his own show ending soon, with CBS deciding to end the programme next year after eight years. Stephen became a household name hosting the satirical news programme The Colbert Report on Comedy Central from 2005 until 2014, before taking over from David Letterman as host of The Late Show on CBS, a subsidiary of Paramount Global.
At the conclusion of the broadcast season in May 2026, CBS announced in July that “The LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT” would end its legendary run. We will retire the “The LATE SHOW” franchise at that time because we believe Stephen Colbert is unreplaceable.
“We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late-night television.”
Source: Mirror
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