More than 400 celebrities have signed an open letter condemning the recent, but now-ended, suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show. They are calling for an end to actions that they consider “retaliation” against free speech, emphasizing that such actions undermine the essence of living in a free country.
The letter was issued in collaboration with the American Civil Liberties Union and boasts signatures from well-known figures such as Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Jamie Lee Curtis, Robert DeNiro, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Selena Gomez, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Tom Hanks, Regina King, Diego Luna, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Olivia Rodrigo, Amber Ruffin, Martin Short, Ben Stiller, Meryl Streep, Kerry Washington, and many others.
The letter elaborates, “Regardless of our political affiliation, or whether we engage in politics or not, we all love our country. We also share the belief that our voices should never be silenced by those in power – because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us. This is the moment to defend free speech across our nation.”
Kimmel’s suspension came after remarks made on his show following the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, who had previously criticized the censoring of late-night comedians, threatened to revoke the broadcast licenses of affiliates airing Kimmel’s show. Nexstar’s parent company and Sinclair, which own many affiliate stations, decided to remove Kimmel from the air, prompting ABC to suspend the show indefinitely.
In a statement, ACLU executive director Anthony D. Romero commented, “We now find ourselves in a modern McCarthy era, facing exactly the type of heavy-handed government censorship our Constitution rightfully forbids. The silencing of Jimmy Kimmel and jawboning of media outlets through lawsuits and threats to their licenses evoke dark memories of the 1950s.”
He then called for Americans to stand up to the actions by the administration and fight for their voices to be heard.
The Walt Disney Company announced on Monday that it will resume production of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Tuesday, following a suspension last week over what the company described as “ill-timed and insensitive” comments.
