John Oliver Rallies Behind Jimmy Kimmel: A Fiery Defense of Free Speech After Suspension
John Oliver spent the main part of his HBO show Last Week Tonight this Sunday going after Disney’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel. Oliver said the move was not only unfair but also dangerous for free speech.
Kimmel was taken off the air last week after Disney suspended him. The decision came after his monologue about the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
During that segment, Kimmel mentioned the suspect, Tyler Robinson, and hinted that he might be a MAGA Republican. That comment led to a wave of outrage. Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr even suggested ABC affiliates could face consequences if they continued airing Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Kimmel’s line was, “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.”
Soon after, major station owners Nexstar and Sinclair pulled the show, saying they would not air it. Disney followed by suspending Kimmel indefinitely. The move drew backlash from Hollywood stars, politicians, and other late-night hosts, who accused Disney of giving in to political pressure.
On Last Week Tonight, Oliver began by acknowledging Kirk’s death. “A person getting shot is tragic and a person getting shot for their ideas is horrifying,” he said. But he argued that what followed was people trying to use Kirk’s death to push their own agendas. That, he said, brought the focus back to Kimmel.
Oliver explained that Kimmel’s real offense was not mocking Kirk but making a passing remark about the shooter’s politics. He pointed out that Kimmel’s first reaction after the murder was actually a sympathetic post:
“Can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human? On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents, and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.”
Oliver showed the clip that caused the uproar and said, “Yeah, that was it. Weirdly, I was actually a guest on his show that night and I didn’t even register that comment and that’s only partly because I wasn’t really paying attention.”
He added that many fans also couldn’t figure out what was so offensive, with comments online asking what Kimmel had even said wrong.
Oliver argued that the suspension wasn’t really about the comment itself. He pointed out that Nexstar is currently trying to buy another media company and needs FCC approval to make the deal go through. “Basically, Brendan Carr said jump, and Nexstar took his d**** out of their mouth for just long enough to say how high exactly,” Oliver said. Sinclair, another company with its own business interests, also dropped Kimmel’s show and even praised Carr’s remarks.
Oliver mocked Carr for celebrating the suspension by sending a smiley emoji and a The Office gif to reporters. “Look, the sequence of events here could not be clearer,” Oliver said. “Carr leaned on broadcasters to take down Kimmel. They did that, sometimes even directly citing Carr while doing so, and then Carr celebrated with a fun GIF. That sure seems like a pretty clear case of the government pressuring companies to censor speech.”
Oliver warned that Kimmel’s suspension could be a turning point. “Not because comedians are important, but because we are not. If the government can force a network to pull a late night show off the air and do so in plain view, it can do a f****of a lot worse.”
He added that HBO, unlike ABC, is not under FCC control, but even his own show could be vulnerable if Warner Bros. Discovery gets sold to another company that might bow to pressure.
The host then turned directly to Disney CEO Bob Iger. “Hi there, Bob, we haven’t met, but you probably know me as America’s third favorite Zazu,” Oliver joked, referring to his role in The Lion King.
He told Iger that history would remember not just the Trump administration, but also the businesses that gave in to fear.
Oliver closed by urging Disney to stand up for Kimmel. “At some point, you’re going to have to draw a line, so I’d argue why not draw it right here. And when they come to you with stupid, ridiculous demands, picking fights that you know you could win in court, instead of rolling over, why not stand up and use four key words… ‘F**** you, make me.’”
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