Over 400 artists spanning prominent actors, comedians, musicians, writers and directors have signed an open letter from the American Civil Liberties Union blasting ABC’s suspension of late night host Jimmy Kimmel, calling it a “dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation.”
“In an attempt to silence its critics, our government has resorted to threatening the livelihoods of journalists, talk show hosts, artists, creatives, and entertainers across the board. This runs counter to the values our nation was built upon, and our Constitution guarantees,” the letter states. “We know this moment is bigger than us and our industry. Teachers, government employees, law firms, researchers, universities, students and so many more are also facing direct attacks on their freedom of expression.”
“Regardless of our political affiliation, or whether we engage in politics or not, we all love our country. We also share the belief that our voices should never be silenced by those in power – because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us,” the letter continues. “This is the moment to defend free speech across our nation. We encourage all Americans to join us, along with the ACLU, in the fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights.”
Signatories include Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, Robert DeNiro, Jane
Fonda, Selena Gomez, Tom Hanks, Olivia Rodrigo, Ben Stiller, Pedro Pascal, Jamie Lee Curtis, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Keaton, Regina King, Diego Luna, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Natalie Portman, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short, Kerry Washington and Rosie O’Donnell.
The letter and full list of signatories can be found here.
Kimmel was pulled by ABC indefinitely last Wednesday over comments made about Charlie Kirk’s assassin and President Donald Trump. The network’s decision followed similar moves from local TV station owners Nexstar and Sinclair after FCC chairman Brendan Carr threatened to revoke broadcast licenses over Kimmel’s remarks.
“We now find ourselves in a modern McCarthy era, facing exactly the type of heavy-handed government censorship our Constitution rightfully forbids. The silencing of Jimmy Kimmel and jawboning of media outlets through lawsuits and threats to their licenses evoke dark memories of the 1950s,” ACLU executive director Anthony D. Romero said in a statement. “We must remember, however, that Senator McCarthy was ultimately disgraced and neutralized once Americans mobilized and stood up to him. We must do the same today because together, our voices are louder and together, we will fight to be heard.”
In addition to Monday’s letter, celebrities including Cynthia Nixon, Misha Collins and Tatiana Maslany have called for a boycott of Disney’s streaming services in response to the decision.
Disney and Kimmel are in ongoing discussions about finding a path forward to get him back on the air.
