Jimmy Kimmel’s fellow ABC talk show hosts at “The View” made no mention of his sudden suspension on Thursday morning, after he was benched “indefinitely” for his comments about Charlie Kirk’s killer.
“The View” is also a property of ABC, so criticizing the move would mean criticizing their own network. The hosts also remained silent earlier this year when the Trump White House threatened that “The View” would be next to get canceled after “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” In the penultimate episode of Season 28, they ignored the threat entirely.
A representative for “The View” did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment
That said, host Joy Behar has long been outspoken about the need for comedians to be able to speak freely, reiterating as much following Colbert’s surprise cancellation.
“It’s always been the role of the court jester to make fun of the king. That is the role of comedians,” Behar said at the time. “I have said on this show years ago, when they start coming for the comedians, all bets are off. Because the king is supposed to take the hits.”
In the same show, moderator Whoopi Goldberg addressed Colbert directly, telling him “we’re supporting you” and “we got your back.”
Earlier this week, Whoopi also called out Attorney General Pam Bondi, saying she “is blurring the lines when it comes to what constitutes hate speech” after threatening to “target” anyone celebrating the assassination of Kirk.
“I always thought that this administration campaigned on ending the weaponization of free speech,” Whoopi said on Tuesday.
“I know there’s a lot of stuff people say that I don’t like,” she continued. “I don’t like it, but as an American, I have the right to say I don’t like it, and they have the right to say it. I will fight for their right to say stuff I don’t like, because I will say stuff they don’t like and I don’t want them up my behind about it either. So I don’t understand.”
Kimmel was pulled from air for his comments following Kirk’s killing, in which he said “the MAGA gang” was “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.”
Before his death, Kirk asserted that hate speech wasn’t real as he posted vitriol about marginalized groups himself. In a 2024 social media post, he wrote that “There’s ugly speech. There’s gross speech. There’s evil speech. And ALL of it is protected by the First Amendment.”
“The View” airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.
