Late-Night Solidarity: Jon Stewart and Fellow Hosts Rally Against Jimmy Kimmel’s Suspension Over Charlie Kirk Remarks

The death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has caused a firestorm on late-night TV this week, which has been full of tragedy and rising tensions over free speech. Just days after 22-year-old Tyler Robinson shot Kirk to death at a speaking event at Utah Valley University on September 13, ABC put Jimmy Kimmel Live! on hold indefinitely after the host gave a harsh monologue about how the MAGA movement reacted to the killing. A group of Kimmel’s peers, including Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Fallon, have now spoken out against the decision, saying it is a chilling blow to comedy and free speech. They have used their platforms to mix sharp satire with calls for resistance.

On Monday, September 15, Kimmel started his show with a scathing attack on what he called the “MAGA gang’s” rush to make Kirk’s death political. This is when the controversy began. Kimmel said, “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.” He was making fun of efforts to paint Robinson as a left-wing radical even though early reports said otherwise. He then made fun of President Donald Trump’s response to the tragedy, saying that Trump was in the “fourth stage of grief: construction.”

People quickly got angry about Kimmel’s comments, which were a mix of anger and humor. Nexstar Media Group, which owns many ABC affiliates, said it would stop airing the show “for the foreseeable future” because the comments were “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse.” Sinclair Broadcast Group did the same thing and chose to show a special “In Remembrance of Charlie Kirk” in Kimmel’s place. Hours later, ABC confirmed the indefinite suspension. This happened after FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who was appointed by Trump, threatened broadcasters with possible license reviews if they aired “content that falls short of community values.”

President Trump quickly took to Truth Social to celebrate the news, saying, “Great News for America: The ratings-challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED.” Trump stood by his claim that Kimmel was “fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else, and he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk” during a joint press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Critics say the president’s happiness has led to accusations of authoritarian overreach, pointing to a pattern of pressuring media outlets that are critical of his administration.

Kimmel hasn’t said anything since he left his Hollywood studio on Wednesday because of protests, but the late-night community has. On Thursday, hosts from all networks joined forces and turned their monologues into a single front, using humor as both a shield and a sword. Jon Stewart, who came back to host The Daily Show as a surprise, set the tone with sharp sarcasm. Stewart called the episode “another fun, hilarious, administration-compliant show.” He then made fun of Trump by saying he was “perfectly tinted” and “manly,” and then joked about sending the National Guard to “the crime-ridden cesspool that is New York City.”

He joked, “We have a little thing called the First Amendment,” pointing out how ironic it is that a president who used to support free speech is now using regulators to attack it. Stewart’s segment, which included clips of Trump visiting the UK and dismissing concerns about free speech, got applause for framing the suspension as a test of democracy’s strength.

Stephen Colbert, whose own show The Late Show was canceled by CBS in July because of similar rumors of political pressure, went bolder on CBS. The show started with a twisted version of “Be Our Guest” from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, which was changed to “Shut your trap.” Colbert said, “Shut your trap,” and then he said, “Tonight we are all Jimmy Kimmel.” He called the suspension “blatant censorship” and said, “With an autocrat, you can’t give an inch.” ABC is very naive if they think this will make the regime happy. And it’s clear that they haven’t read the kids’ book “If You Give a Mouse a Kimmel.” Colbert interviewed New Yorker editor David Remnick, who said that the actions were “the government acting at the direction of the president to silence institutions of the free word.” This was a nod to Kirk’s own support for free speech.

Seth Meyers on NBC’s Late Night leaned into self-deprecating irony, joking that his show might be next on Trump’s hit list after the president labeled him and Fallon “two total losers.” Meyers said, “I stand with Jimmy,” and then he gave Trump a list of silly compliments to show how the administration only supports the First Amendment when it suits them. Jimmy Fallon, who is always positive on The Tonight Show, said something more heartfelt: “To be honest with you all, I don’t know what’s going on.” And no one does. I do know Jimmy Kimmel, though, and he’s a good, funny, and caring person. I hope he comes back. His segment devolved into a comedic censorship skit, with an announcer dubbing over his Trump critiques with praise.

Even famous people who are no longer alive had something to say. David Letterman spoke at The Atlantic Festival and said that the move toward “managed media” was “no good.” It’s dumb. “It’s crazy.” Conan O’Brien tweeted his alarm: “The suspension of @jimmykimmel and the promise to silence other Late Night hosts… should disturb everyone on the Right, Left, and Center.” Former President Barack Obama added to the conversation on X by sharing articles and saying, “Freedom of speech is at the heart of democracy and must be defended, whether the speaker is Charlie Kirk or Jimmy Kimmel, MAGA supporters or MAGA opponents.”

Some people didn’t feel sorry for them. Greg Gutfeld on Fox News said that concerns about free speech were not valid because Kimmel’s low ratings and “crass” comments were enough to justify the pull. Megyn Kelly and other conservatives said that Kimmel was spreading a “vile disgusting lie” about the MAGA movement. People are calling for a boycott of Disney online, and some say they will cancel trips and subscriptions in response.

The ACLU called the suspension part of the Trump administration’s “unconstitutional plan to silence its critics.” Even Sen. Ted Cruz, who doesn’t like Kimmel, said that the FCC’s threats were like a “Mafia shake-down.” As protests continue outside ABC’s El Capitan Theatre and companies like Nexstar are being looked at for possible mergers, the story raises big questions: In a time when people are very divided, where does comedy stop and censorship start? For now, the voices that are still alive late at night are all together in defiance, and Kimmel’s silence is their loudest statement yet.