WASHINGTON: American comedians have fiercely criticised what they call blatant censorship following ABC’s decision to pull Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show off the air.
The network suspended Kimmel indefinitely after Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr threatened the licenses of ABC affiliates broadcasting his programme.
Stephen Colbert opened his Thursday show by declaring solidarity with his fellow host amid the controversy.
“After threats from Trump’s FCC Chair, ABC yanked Kimmel off their air indefinitely,“ Colbert stated during his opening monologue.
Colbert’s own Emmy-winning programme will be taken off air next year after he criticised Paramount Global for settling a lawsuit brought by Trump.
Jon Stewart introduced himself on Comedy Central as your patriotically obedient host of the all-new government-approved Daily Show.
“Some naysayers may argue that this administration’s speech concerns are merely a cynical ploy,“ Stewart remarked with characteristic irony.
Trump condemned evening shows on network television while returning from a trip to Britain.
“All they do is hit Trump,“ the president told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Trump previously urged NBC to remove satirists Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers through his Truth Social platform.
Fallon praised Kimmel as a decent, funny and loving guy during his own programme.
“A lot of people are worried that we’ll be censored,“ Fallon told his audience before playing a voiceover calling Trump incredibly handsome.
Meyers stated that Trump’s administration is pursuing a crackdown on free speech domestically.
“And completely unrelated, I just want to say I’ve always admired and respected Mr Trump,“ Meyers added sarcastically.
Late-night legend David Letterman defended Kimmel at a New York event, calling ABC’s decision ridiculous.
“You can’t go around firing somebody because you’re fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian criminal administration,“ Letterman asserted. – AFP