Whereas Thursday’s “Jimmy Kimmel Stay!” was preempted by a rerun of “Movie star Household Feud,” persevering with ABC’s indefinite suspension of the discuss present, a few of Kimmel’s late-night colleagues used their platform to pontificate.
On “The Day by day Present,” which airs on Paramount-owned Comedy Central and has rotating hosts, Jon Stewart suited up for emceeing duties outdoors his traditional Monday slot. Desi Lydic had been internet hosting this week, however the comic had one thing to say in regards to the points surrounding his good friend Kimmel.
Stewart leaned heavy into irony from the beginning of the present, saying it’s now the “all new, government-approved” model, and was launched because the night’s “patriotically obedient host.” Stewart steadily scolded the viewers for laughing at his sarcastic pandering to the Trump administration. He mentioned the present was being taped within the “crime-ridden cesspool that’s New York Metropolis” and notes that “somebody’s Nationwide Guard ought to invade this place, am I proper?”
“I don’t know who this ‘Johnny Drimmel Stay’ ABC character is, however the level is, our nice administration has laid out very clear guidelines on free speech,” Stewart mentioned. “Some naysayers might argue that this administration’s speech issues are merely a cynical ploy, a skinny gruel of a ruse, a smoke display to obscure an unprecedented consolidation of energy and unitary intimidation, principleless and coldly antithetical to any experiment in a constitutional republic governance. Some folks would say that. Not me, although, I feel it’s nice.”
Stewart and the correspondents then serenaded the president with an off-key tune stuffed with compliments and praises.
In the meantime, Jimmy Fallon, host of NBC’s “The Tonight Present,” briefly addressed the scenario in his monologue Thursday night time saying, “To be trustworthy with you all, I don’t know what’s occurring — nobody does. However I do know Jimmy Kimmel, and he’s a good, humorous and loving man. And I hope he comes again.”
Fallon mentioned he would proceed his monologue “similar to I usually would,” however the punchline of his jokes about Trump got here with an announcer interrupting any attainable slights with flattery.
Earlier within the day, the host had canceled a scheduled look at Quick Firm’s Innovation Competition in New York Metropolis, the place he was set to hitch a panel titled “Staying on Model”; organizers didn’t reply to a request for remark in regards to the cancellation of his look.
Seth Meyers, host of NBC’s “Late Evening,” additionally didn’t keep away from the subject. He opened his phase “A Nearer Look” on Thursday by cracking jokes about how something unfavorable he’s mentioned in regards to the president is an AI-generated deepfake. “I’ve all the time believed he was a visionary, an innovator, an awesome president and even higher golfer,” he joked.
He proceeded to indicate clips from Trump’s current journey to the U.Okay., poking enjoyable on the president’s feedback and protesters who rallied in opposition to his go to. However later within the phase, Meyers’ started to indicate clips of Trump touting his efforts to “cease all authorities censorship” and produce again free speech, earlier than reducing to information clips about Kimmel’s suspension.
“Trump promised to finish authorities censorship and produce again free speech, and he’s doing the other, and it has specialists apprehensive that we’re quickly devolving into an oppressive autocracy within the type of Russia or Hungary, a lot sooner than anybody may have predicted,” Meyers continued.
The host additionally commented on his private relationship with Kimmel, saying it’s a “privilege and an honor” to be his good friend, in the identical manner he feels privileged to host his personal present. “I get up day-after-day, I depend my blessings that I stay in a rustic that not less than purports to worth freedom of speech, and we’re going to maintain doing our present the best way we’ve all the time finished it, with enthusiasm and integrity,” he mentioned.
“The Late Present With Stephen Colbert” added David Remnick, the editor in chief of the New Yorker, to its lineup Thursday, which already included CNN journalist Jake Tapper. Colbert’s present generated its personal headlines this summer time when CBS introduced the late-night discuss present can be canceled after the season wraps in Might 2026 — successfully ending the franchise after 33 years on the air. The choice, the corporate mentioned, was as a consequence of monetary causes moderately than a response to Colbert’s criticism of a deal between the Trump administration and Paramount, the mum or dad firm of CBS, the community that airs “The Late Present,” as many have speculated.
Colbert used his vocal skills Thursday to sing a tune in regards to the scenario, presenting a brief track as a message from ABC and its mum or dad firm, Walt Disney. The track was to the tune of “Be Our Visitor,” the “Magnificence and The Beast” traditional — besides the repeating chorus is “shut your lure.”
Colbert sings as an animated clip of the candlestick character Lumière from the film performs, however he’s donning a pink MAGA hat right here. “Shut your lure, we’re warning you to chop the crap. Our pricey chief’s pores and skin is thinner than a sheet of plastic wrap,” he sings.”Mum’s the phrase, have you ever heard, kissing a— is what’s most popular. Don’t insult our nice dictator or he’ll hit you with this turd,” the track continues as a photograph of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr seems on display.
“The brand new rule at ABC: Don’t make enjoyable of Donny T,” he sings. “So don’t you make a scene or point out Jeff Epstein, or your present might be scrapped — shut your lure.”
Colbert additionally spoke in regards to the suspension in a monologue, studying a social media submit from Carr that mentioned “Whereas this can be an unprecedented determination, it is necessary for broadcasters to push again on Disney programming that they decide falls in need of group values.”
“You recognize what my group values are, buster?” Colbert requested. “Freedom of speech.”
Colbert mentioned Kimmel’s scenario with Tapper, who introduced up the Division of Justice’s evaluate of Disney’s deal to take a controlling stake in streaming firm FuboTV, which brings up potential antitrust points. Tapper questioned what Bob Iger, Disney’s chief govt, would do about Kimmel on condition that he has enterprise earlier than the Justice Division. “Is he going to poke the bear, Donald Trump, or is he going to disregard this nice custom now we have on this nation, of not acquiescing — of media, newspapers, comedians, tv — not acquiescing to energy?”
Democratic Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly can also be scheduled to seem in an episode of “The Late Present” airing Monday; Kelly final appeared on the present final yr forward of the November 2024 presidential election, discussing border safety and gun reform.
Earlier on Thursday, whereas participating in a panel dialog moderated by the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, late-night veteran David Letterman, who as soon as helmed “The Late Present” on CBS, described this week’s flip of occasions as “distress.”
“On the planet of any individual who’s an authoritarian, possibly a dictatorship, ultimately, everybody goes to be touched,” Letterman mentioned. He first addressed what transpired with Colbert and the cancellation of “The Late Present,” alluding to political stress as the actual wrongdoer, earlier than addressing the choice to yank Kimmel’s present.
“I simply really feel unhealthy about this as a result of all of us see the place that is going, appropriate?” he mentioned. “It’s managed media. And it’s no good. It’s foolish. It’s ridiculous. And you may’t go round firing any individual since you’re fearful or attempting to suck as much as an authoritarian — a prison — administration within the Oval Workplace. That’s simply not how this works.”
With three many years within the late-night circuit, Letterman by no means shied from mocking presidents: “Beating up on these folks,” he mentioned, “rightly or wrongly, precisely or maybe inaccurately, within the identify of comedy — not as soon as have been we squeezed by anybody from any authorities company, not to mention the dreaded FCC.”
ABC carried out the choice to take Kimmel off the air Wednesday after the comic and host made feedback about conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s dying throughout his opening monologue on Monday night time.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately attempting to characterize this child who murdered Charlie Kirk as something apart from one among them, and doing every part they’ll to attain political factors from it,” Kimmel mentioned.
Kimmel has not but commented publicly on the matter. However his present’s suspension shortly ignited fierce debate, with critics accusing ABC and its mum or dad firm, Disney, of capitulating to political stress. Brendan Carr, the chairman of the Federal Communications Fee, mentioned Wednesday that his company may take motion in opposition to ABC due to Kimmel’s feedback.
“It is a very, very critical challenge proper now for Disney,” Carr mentioned on the Benny Johnson podcast. “We are able to do that the straightforward manner or the arduous manner. These corporations can discover methods to take motion on Kimmel or there’s going to be further work for the FCC forward.”
President Trump lauded Kimmel’s suspension in a submit he wrote on his Reality Social media web site: “Nice Information for America: The rankings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Present is CANCELLED.” (The present has not been canceled, however stays on maintain.)
It’s additionally price noting Kimmel’s outspoken daytime counterparts have been mum on the difficulty. “The View’s” panelists didn’t deal with the Kimmel scenario throughout Thursday’s episode. (“Good Morning America,” which is produced by ABC Information, did point out the information of the Kimmel hiatus with out further commentary.)
In the meantime, Kimmel’s fictional late-night competitor, Deborah Vance, has an opinion on the ordeal — or moderately, actor Jean Sensible does. She might solely play a late-night tv host on TV, however the “Hacks” actress was fast to share her ideas on the choice to tug Kimmel from the air: “What Jimmy mentioned was FREE speech, not hate speech,” Sensible shared in an Instagram submit. “Folks appear to solely wish to defend free speech when its fits THEIR agenda.” (Kimmel made a cameo within the current season of “Hacks.”)
She went on to put in writing: “Thought I didn’t agree at ALL with Charlie Kirk; his taking pictures dying sickened me; and will have sickened any respectable human being. What is going on to our nation?”
