Hollywood reacts to Jimmy Kimmel Live being pulled off air; Ben Stiller, Jean Smart and Chris Hayes all show support

After Jimmy Kimmel Live! was pulled off the air, several Hollywood celebrities, including Jean Smart and Ben Stiller, criticized television network ABC’s decision.

Jimmy Kimmel's talk show gets pulled from air by ABC. (Photo: Instagram/JimmyKimmel)

The internet has been in a frenzy ever since television network ABC announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been taken off the air. The decision shocked fans of the show and other members of the Hollywood community, as it is one of the frontrunners for the network in terms of bringing in numbers. Many celebrities showed their support for Jimmy Kimmel and slammed ABC for withering under the pressure put on them by the current administration in the US.

Kimmel has never minced his words regarding his feelings for Donald Trump. He has constantly mocked the president’s antics, decisions and comments while supporting people who have come under the administration’s axe. But his comments about Trump supporter Charlie Kirk getting killed did not sit right with the people in higher offices. The Federal Communication Commission chair Brendan Carr criticised Kimmel’s comments, and soon ABC announced that the show has been “pre-empted indefinitely”, without any specific explanation. Since that decision, several actors and comedians have come out voicing their support for Kimmel.

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Actor Ben Stiller reposted an article about the news and wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “This isn’t right.” Commentator Chris Hayes reposted the same article and said, “This is the most straightforward attack on free speech from state actors I’ve ever seen in my life, and it’s not even close.” Actor Jean Smart took to her Instagram and posted a picture with Jimmy Kimmel. Along with the photo, she wrote, “I am horrified at the cancellation of Jimmy Kimmel Live. What Jimmy said was FREE speech, not hate speech. People seem to only want to protect free speech when it suits THEIR agenda. Though I didn’t agree at ALL with Charlie Kirk, his shooting death sickened me and should have sickened any decent human being. What is happening to our country?”

This isn’t right. https://t.co/mVJ8308w1k

— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) September 17, 2025

This is the most straightforward attack on free speech from state actors I’ve ever seen in my life and it’s not even close. https://t.co/uMjEZkIpat

— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) September 17, 2025

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jean Smart (@realjeansmart)

Jimmy Kimmel’s Comments About Charlie Kirk

All talk show hosts, including Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon, addressed Charlie Kirk’s death and condemned its nature; so did Jimmy Kimmel. But during a separate show, Kimmel said, “We hit 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 doing everything they can to score political points from it.” The moment the show aired, Brendan Carr threatened to take action against ABC.

This comes just months after Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show was cancelled, and Donald Trump predicted that Jimmy Kimmel would be the next to go off television.

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