Hollywood star Pedro Pascal has jumped to Jimmy Kimmel’s defence despite his association with Disney. Pascal, who stars in Disney’s The Mandalorian, said he was standing with Kimmel, writing on Instagram: “Defend free speech.”
US network ABC, which is owned by Disney, revealed earlier this week that Jimmy Kimmel Live! would no longer be broadcast after the host made controversial implications about the identity of Tyler Robinson, the suspected gunman behind the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Next year, Pascal will star in The Mandalorian & Grogu, a film continuation of the Star Wars series set to be released in 2026, and Marvel film Avengers: Doomsday, in which he’ll reprise his Fantastic Four character.
Meanwhile, Tatiana Maslany, the star of Disney+’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, led calls to cancel Disney+ subscriptions in the wake of Kimmel’s indefinite suspension. Marisa Tomei, who played Aunt May in the MCU, also supported the notion. Damon Lindelof, whose hit series Lost aired on ABC and is available to stream on Disney+, shared plans to boycott the company.
The TV showrunner behind The Leftovers and Watchmen called Kimmel “empathetic and grateful”, adding: “I was shocked, saddened and infuriated by yesterday’s suspension and look forward to it being lifted soon. If it isn’t, I can’t in good conscience work for the company that imposed it.” Many more celebrities, including Ben Stiller, Wanda Sykes and Kathy Griffin, have spoken out against the decision.
The comment that got Kimmel in hot water featured in Monday’s episode (14 September), when he said: “We had some new lows over the weekend with the Maga gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it.”
