The unprecedented removal of Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the airwaves for remarks on Charlie Kirk’s murder, has not only led to shock from many in entertainment and the government, but also strange bedfellows who are decrying the seemingly assault on free speech from the Trump administration.

Many other conservatives on the other hand are celebrating the news of the late night host’s suspension, claiming his comments about MAGA having a hand in Charlie Kirk’s assassination was out of bounds and grounds for removal.

During his Monday monologue, Kimmel said, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

ABC indefinitely suspended Kimmel’s late-night show on Wednesday after his comments prompted several ABC affiliates to pull the program and drew sharp warnings from a top federal regulator appointed by Trump.

California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, criticized what he called a “coordinated” and “dangerous” effort by Republicans to pressure media companies into firing commentators, canceling programs, and exerting control over platforms, warning on the social platform X Wednesday that such actions amount to an attack on the First Amendment.

Newsom found agreement from the opposite end of the political spectrum, when during a special edition of The Tucker Carlson Show honoring Kirk, Tucker Carlson emphasized that Kirk had been a steadfast advocate for free speech.

“You hope Charlie Kirk’s death won’t be used by a group we now call bad actors to create a society that was the opposite of the one he worked to build,” Carlson said. “You hope that! You hope a year from now, the turmoil we’re seeing in the aftermath of his murder won’t be leveraged to bring hate speech laws to this country.”

Tucker, a conservative firebrand who himself was removed from the Fox News network in 2023, said citizen disobedience would be justified if laws limiting free speech are put in place.

Other conservatives lauded the show’s removal, including the president himself.

President Trump reacted on Truth Social, calling the suspension “great news for America.” He praised ABC for “finally having the courage to do what had to be done,” adding that Kimmel “has ZERO talent and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible.”

Trump went on to mock other late-night hosts, saying, “That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!”

Megyn Kelly, a conservative media commentator and former Fox News anchor, shared on social media, “I’m not sure who needs to hear this but Jimmy Kimmel got on the air and falsely stated as a fact that Charlie Kirk’s killer was MAGA, smearing an entire movement and Trump in particular with a vile disgusting lie – and at a time when the threat against those on the right is at an all-time high.”

Many conservatives argued that while the First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech it doesn’t shield people from the consequences of what they say, including losing a job.

On X, Roseanne Barr shared: “Yeah imagine an administration putting pressure on a television channel to fire a comedian they didn’t like.

In 2018, Barr was fired by ABC after she posted a tweet about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett that was widely condemned as racist. Barr apologized, but the network acted swiftly, ending the revival of her show after one season. 

Barr has consistently made claims Barack and Michelle Obama personally asked Disney CEO Bob Iger to have her removed, even though Trump was president at the time. 

Against this backdrop, ABC announced on Monday, September 22, that Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension was ending. Jimmy Kimmel Live! will return on Tuesday, September 23, after being placed on indefinite hold last week. Disney explained the pause was meant “to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” adding that some of Kimmel’s remarks were “ill-timed and thus insensitive.” The network said it has since had constructive conversations with Kimmel, paving the way for his return.

The announcement reignited fierce debate. Media personalities like Howard Stern blasted the suspension as “government-backed censorship,” canceling his Disney+ subscription in protest, while John Oliver urged viewers to boycott Disney+ and Hulu, warning it set a dangerous precedent for free speech. Demonstrators also gathered outside Disney’s Burbank headquarters and other locations, carrying signs that labeled the suspension “un-American.”