A chorus of late-night titans—Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, and David Letterman—issued dire warnings on Thursday, suggesting the nation was veering towards autocracy. Their pronouncements came swiftly after ABC made the controversial decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel’s popular talk show, a move reportedly spurred by intense pressure from the Trump administration.
During a powerful monologue on his daily broadcast, Mr. Colbert rallied support, proclaiming, “Tonight we are all Jimmy Kimmel.” He unequivocally condemned ABC’s action to “indefinitely” remove Kimmel’s program, labeling it as “blatant censorship” targeting free expression.
“When dealing with an autocrat, compromise is not an option,” Colbert asserted. He warned that if ABC believed its actions would appease the current administration, they were “woefully naive” and evidently unfamiliar with the classic tale, “If You Give a Mouse a Kimmel.”
Mr. Stewart’s program dramatically opened with a public address announcer introducing “the all-new, government-approved ‘Daily Show’” featuring its “patriotically obedient host,” Mr. Stewart himself.
On “The Tonight Show,” Jimmy Fallon expressed his bewilderment, stating, “I don’t know what’s going on. And no one does. But I do know Jimmy Kimmel, and he’s a decent, funny and loving guy and I hope he comes back.” He then declared his own refusal to be censored, only for a voiceover to offer more government-compliant commentary over his remarks.
The collective outcry from Kimmel’s peers capped a day already marked by sharp criticism from an industry veteran, David Letterman.
“You can’t go around firing somebody because you’re fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian, a criminal administration in the Oval Office,” Mr. Letterman declared at The Atlantic Festival in Lower Manhattan. “That’s just not how this works.”
ABC had announced on Wednesday evening that it was pulling Mr. Kimmel’s late-night show “indefinitely.” This decision followed criticisms from Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, regarding remarks Mr. Kimmel made on his show about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Mr. Carr had even hinted that his regulatory agency might take action against ABC affiliates, stating, “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the F.C.C. ahead.”
Mr. Carr’s comments echoed a broader conservative backlash that had accused Mr. Kimmel of misrepresenting the political beliefs of Tyler Robinson, the man implicated in Mr. Kirk’s assassination, during a Monday broadcast. On his program, Mr. Kimmel had suggested that Mr. Trump’s supporters were “desperately trying” to portray Mr. Robinson “as anything other than one of them.” However, Utah officials had indicated that Mr. Robinson’s views had recently shifted towards the left.
The indefinite suspension of the show quickly ignited fury among liberals, who condemned the network’s move as censorship and a capitulation to political pressure from the Trump administration.
Mr. Colbert, Mr. Stewart, Mr. Letterman—and to a lesser extent, Mr. Fallon—all publicly joined the critics on Thursday.
Mr. Colbert, in particular, derided Mr. Carr’s statement about the necessity to counter programming that fails to uphold “community values.”
“Well, you know what my community values are, buster?” Mr. Colbert retorted. “Freedom of speech.”
At one point during his show, Mr. Colbert even resurrected his famous “Stephen Colbert” character—a self-absorbed conservative political pundit—from the 10-season run of his Comedy Central hit, “The Colbert Report.”
Meanwhile, in his program’s opening segment, Mr. Stewart embodied the role of a humble, pro-government sycophant teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown, his performance extending beyond just the Kimmel controversy.
“Some naysayers may argue that this administration’s speech concerns are merely a cynical ploy, a thin gruel of a ruse, a smokescreen to obscure an unprecedented consolidation of power and unitary intimidation,” Mr. Stewart said.
“Some people would say that,” he reiterated, following a dramatic pause. “Not me though. I think it’s great.”
These remarks marked the latest display of solidarity among the tight-knit fraternity of late-night hosts, who have collectively spent decades behind their desks.
In recent months, this mutual support has been particularly evident. Following the unexpected announcement that CBS would cancel “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” many current hosts vocally supported Mr. Colbert on their own programs. Leading up to the Emmy Awards, Mr. Kimmel went as far as commissioning a billboard in Los Angeles proclaiming, “I’m voting for Stephen” for best talk show, a category Mr. Colbert ultimately won.
However, not everyone in late night shared this unified stance.
On his Fox News show late Thursday, Greg Gutfeld revisited the topic of Mr. Kimmel, just one night after publicly calling him a “clown.”
“While some say it’s an attack on free speech, others believe it’s an excuse to unload Jimmy due to his poor ratings and the cost to keep him on,” he commented.