John Oliver has voiced strong support for Jimmy Kimmel following the suspension of his late-night show, warning that the incident marks a dangerous turning point for free speech in the United States. On his HBO programme Last Week Tonight, Oliver criticised the “shamelessly flimsy pretext” used to justify the suspension, asserting that “everyone knew the administration had it in for Kimmel”.
Oliver addressed the controversy sparked by Kimmel’s remarks about the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. He stressed that Kimmel’s comments were not about Kirk himself, but about how the right was using the tragedy to “score political points”. Oliver noted that “many struggled to pick the offensive line out of his monologue” and that Kimmel “didn’t denigrate Charlie Kirk or make light of his killing”.
The suspension followed pressure from FCC chair Brendan Carr and Nexstar, a major TV station owner. Oliver highlighted that Nexstar was seeking FCC approval for a merger, and that Sinclair Broadcast Group also pulled Kimmel’s show. He called the sequence of events “could not be clearer” and pointed out that former President Donald Trump had even made the connection publicly.
Oliver took aim at Senator Ted Cruz, who said he was “thrilled” by the suspension while also calling it an assault on free speech. Oliver joked about Carr’s response to a CNN reporter, which included a meme from The Office, saying, “Oh very cool just when I thought this factory setting white man couldn’t get any hotter”.
Oliver warned that the Kimmel situation is “a turning point”, drawing parallels to Hungary and Russia where dictators have targeted comedians on television. He urged Disney to “stand by Kimmel and his staff” and called on viewers to pressure the company by cancelling Disney+ and Hulu. He concluded: “Giving the bully your lunch money doesn’t make him go away, it just makes him come back hungrier each time.”
