Late-night comedy hosts reacted with mockery of the Trump administration a day after Jimmy Kimmel’s show was yanked from the air following his comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Jon Stewart returned to “The Daily Show” with a “government approved” program and referred to President Donald Trump as “Our Great Father” and “Dear Leader.” He joked about Trump’s recent visit to the United Kingdom and played a clip of a reporter’s question about Kimmel and whether free speech was under attack in America.
“How dare you, sir! How dare you, sir!” Stewart bellowed. “What outfit are you with, sir, the Antifa-Herald Tribune?”
When the audience booed or expressed dismay, Stewart in a panic tried to shush them. A group of correspondents delivered a message in unison and showered the president with over-the-top praise as though they lived in a dictatorship.
Disney said Wednesday it was suspending “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after Kimmel made comments about the person charged in conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr threatened to take action.
“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,” Kimmel said during his monologue Monday night.
Kirk was fatally shot at a Utah university on Sept. 10 by a gunman who fired from a rooftop, officials said.
Stephen Colbert, whose “Late Night” show CBS is ending entirely in a move that critics alleged was motivated by concerns about the Trump administration, said he stands with Kimmel and his staff.
“That is blatant censorship, and it always starts small,” Colbert said, and he referred to the administration’s effort to rename the Gulf of Mexico. “And if ABC thinks this is going to satisfy the regime, they are woefully naive.”
NBC’s Jimmy Fallon cracked a couple of jokes on Thursday’s episode of “The Tonight Show” and then became serious for a moment.
“To be honest with you all, I don’t know what’s going on. And no one does,” he said. “But I do know Jimmy Kimmel, and he’s a decent, funny and loving guy, and I hope he comes back.”
Fallon, who then vowed the show wouldn’t be censored, proceeded to describe Trump’s U.K. visit but with another voice dubbing only positive messages. NBC is a division of NBCUniversal, which is also the parent company of NBC News.
Kirk’s assassination sparked a furious response and finger-pointing, with some on the right blaming the left and calling for retribution. The suspect’s mother told authorities he had “started to lean more left,” according to a probable cause statement. A text message purported to be from the suspect released by authorities says he “had enough of his hatred,” referring to Kirk.
The chain of events Wednesday that ended with the show’s being pulled appeared to begin when Carr went on right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson’s show and called for Kimmel to be suspended. He threatened there could be punishment for companies if they don’t “find ways to take action on Kimmel.”
Carr has cited a “public interest” obligation for broadcast license holders.
Hours later, Nexstar Media Group announced its ABC affiliates would pre-empt Kimmel’s show. Disney, which owns ABC, then announced that it was pulling the show off the air indefinitely.
Nexstar is awaiting FCC approval for a $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna.
Trump suggested Thursday that action could be taken against other networks.
“If they’re 97% against, they give me only bad publicity, or press — I mean, they’re getting a license. I would think maybe their license should be taken away,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “It will be up to Brendan Carr.”
The FCC licenses individual broadcast stations but not TV or radio networks, such as ABC.
There was swift reaction to the suspension of Kimmel’s show, including from former President Barack Obama and legendary late-night talk show host David Letterman, as well as others who criticized the decision as an attack on free speech.
On ABC, where Kimmel’s show normally appears, an episode of “Family Feud” aired instead Thursday.
