US late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel will return to TV screens after he was suspended for making MAGA jokes relating to the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.

Disney, which owns ABC – the US broadcast network that airs Jimmy Kimmel Live – said that it suspended the show because it “felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive”. FCC chairman Brendan Carr has also threatened affiliate broadcast licences if they did not “take action” against Kimmel,

A statement from Disney on Setpember 22nd said: “Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday [Septemeber 23rd].”

However, Nexstar and Sinclair, which together run dozens of local US stations affiliated to ABC, said they would continue to replace the show with regular programming.

“Mr Kimmel’s remarks were inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country,” commented Sinclair’s vice-chairman Jason Smith.

Meanwhile, over 400 celebrities and Hollywood elites have signed a letter backing Kimmel, calling his suspension a “dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation”. Signees included Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Selena Gomez, Ben Affleck, Billy Crystal, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Judd Apatow, Martin Short, Tom Morello, Kevin Bacon and Jennifer Aniston.

The letter added: “Regardless of our political affiliation, or whether we engage in politics or not, we all love our country. We also share the belief that our voices should never be silenced by those in power – because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.”

Additionally, FCC Commissioner Anna M Gomez has welcomed The Walt Disney Company’s decision.

“I am glad to see Disney find its courage in the face of clear government intimidation,” she said. “More importantly, I want to thank those Americans from across the ideological spectrum who spoke loudly and courageously against this blatant attempt to silence free speech. It will continue to be up to us as citizens to push back against this Administration’s growing campaign of censorship and control. As this FCC considers steps that would let the same billion-dollar media conglomerates that caved in to government pressure grow even bigger, we must combat these efforts to stifle free expression. I will keep fighting to protect consumers, promote a healthy media ecosystem with viewpoint diversity, and ensure local broadcasters have the independence to stand up to government threats.”

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Categories: Articles, Content, Policy, Regulation

Tags: Brendan Carr, Disney, Hollywood, usa