Late-Night Hosts Stand With Jimmy Kimmel and Free Speech

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Following ABC’s decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel’s show, other late-night hosts are showing their support, similar to how they reacted when CBS cancelled Stephen Colbert’s show. Both Colbert and Seth Meyers shared clips online addressing Kimmel’s suspension. This comes as former President Trump is calling for the cancellation of Meyers’ and Jimmy Fallon’s shows, posting on his social media platform, Truth Social, that they are “total losers” with “horrible” ratings and urging NBC to take action.

Here’s a look at how late-night hosts like Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, and Jon Stewart responded to Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, with updates throughout the evening.

Seth Meyers

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=bGpYFjwClr8

Seth Meyers started his segment by jokingly mentioning job security, then surprisingly stated, “I’ve always admired and respected Trump.” The audience laughed, and he added that any negative comments he’d made about Trump were just generated by A.I. Later in the segment, Meyers praised his friend and colleague Jimmy Kimmel, emphasizing the importance of free speech. He said it was an honor to do the show each night and to live in a country that claims to value free speech, adding they would continue doing the show with their usual energy and honesty. The segment was then interrupted by a fart sound.

Stephen Colbert

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=HMGD1KCYFOw

Stephen Colbert dressed up as the Disney character Lumiere to address the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel. He performed a song called “Shut Your Trap” – set to the tune of “Be Our Guest” – criticizing FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. In the performance, Colbert, as Lumiere, warned against insulting a “great dictator” while holding up a picture of Carr. Earlier that day, Colbert shared a clip from his show where he quoted Carr, who had urged viewers to protest Disney content that didn’t align with community standards. Colbert responded by declaring his community values are “freedom of speech,” playfully referencing Hamilton with a “Hakuna Matata” comparison. Tonight, Colbert’s guests will be Jake Tapper and David Remnick.

Jon Stewart for The Daily Show

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=_GXNJ3V9lzg

Stepping in for Trevor Noah again this week, Jon Stewart really leaned into the absurdity of the situation with Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension. He had a lot of fun with it, but also made some pointed observations. He playfully shushed the audience whenever Trump’s name brought on big laughs, then called out the hypocrisy of spreading misinformation, especially the shockingly insensitive jokes about political violence coming from certain conservative news sources. It all culminated in a hilarious musical number with the *Daily Show* correspondents, where he belted out a surprisingly high-pitched rendition of a pledge to Donald Trump – a truly memorable moment!

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2025-09-19 06:58