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The union was among those responding after Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show was pulled out indefinitely by the ABC following his comments on the death of right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirk.
On Wednesday, September 17th, a Disney ABC spokesman confirmed to people that Jimmy Kimmel was live! “The Magagang () is desperately trying to characterize this kid who can kill Charlie Kirk as one of them and do everything he can to score political points between finger points,” said Kimmel, 22, who was accused of killing Kirk on Monday’s show.
Kirk, 31, was fatally shot while speaking at a campus event at Utah Valley University on September 10th.
Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty
After the ABC’s decision to draw Kimmel’s show was revealed, trade unions, including the Guild of Screen Actors and the Federation of Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), opposed the network’s move.
It said in a statement people got, “Sag Aftra condemns the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“Our society depends on freedom of expression. Retaliation to speak out on the important issues of public concern that violate the fundamental rights that we all rely on,” the statement added. “When diverse perspectives are expressed, democracy flourishes.”
“The decision to suspend Jimmy Kimmel’s live broadcast is a form of oppression and retribution that puts everyone’s freedom at stake,” the union continued.
“SAG-AFTRA stands with all media artists, defends their right to express their diverse perspectives and expresses their right to hear them,” he concluded.
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Writer Guild of America West (WGAW) and Writer Guild of America East (WGAE) claimed that the organization “stands with Jimmy Kimmel and his writers.”
“The right to speak our hearts and oppose each other, even to get in the way – at the heart of what it means to be free people. It should not be denied, not violence, but by abuse of government power, or by corporate co-ill conduct.”
“As a guild, we are united against those who use our power and influence to silence the writer’s voice, or who challenge and speak,” the statement added. “If free speech is applied only to ideas we like, we don’t need to bother writing it in the Constitution.
“I am embarrassed by the government people who forget this founding truth. As for our employers, our words have enriched you. Shutting us will make the whole world poor.”
The Federation of Musicians in the US and Canada (AFM) also said in a statement posted online: “This is not complicated. Trump’s FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has threatened ABC without favour, threatening to be state censorship in extreme retaliation.
“This act by the Trump administration represents a direct attack on freedom of speech and artistic expression. These are the fundamental rights we must protect in a free society. The American Federation of Musicians strongly condemns the decision to broadcast Jimmy Kimmel!”
“We are in solidarity with all those who are not working because of government overreach,” Gagrialdi added.
After news emerged that Kimmel’s show had been drawn out, President Donald Trump said in a statement on the True Society that “America’s Great News: The rated Jimmy Kimmel Show has been cancelled.”
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Celebrities such as Ben Stiller, Sophia Bush, Don Lemon, Kathy Griffin and Wanda Sykes were among those responding to the news that Kimmel’s show had been pulled.
The 61-year-old comedian Sykes shared the video on Instagram and explained that he will be appearing on the show on Wednesday.
“Let’s take a look. He didn’t end the Ukrainian War or settle Gaza within the first week. But he ended free speech within his first year.
Meanwhile, Stiller wrote to X, “This is not correct.”
