Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon and David Letterman have all voiced support for Jimmy Kimmel after ABC indefinitely suspended his late-night show. The decision followed Kimmel's comments about the Trump administration's response to the death of rightwing activist Charlie Kirk.
In his Thursday monologue, Colbert criticised Disney, ABC's parent company, for bowing to pressure from FCC chair Brendan Carr. Colbert called the suspension a "blatant assault on freedom of speech" and mocked Disney executives for being fearful of retaliation from the Trump administration.
Jon Stewart, who normally hosts only on Mondays, presented a satirical version of The Daily Show with a gold set. He joked about Trump's "Talent-O-Meter" and played clips of Republicans mocking the 2022 attack on Paul Pelosi. Stewart also interviewed Nobel laureate Maria Ressa, who compared Trump's dismantling of institutions to the Philippines under Rodrigo Duterte.
Seth Meyers began his show by sarcastically praising Trump, saying he had "always admired and respected Mr Trump" to laughter. Jimmy Fallon expressed confusion over the situation but called Kimmel "a decent, funny and loving guy" and hoped for his return.
