New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani re-committed on Monday to a local ABC station’s town hall after Disney reinstated late-night host Jimmy Kimmel following a four-day suspension.
“Last week, Disney/ABC caved to Trump administration pressure,” Mamdani wrote on X. “Millions of Americans helped them find their backbone. Whether you watch Jimmy Kimmel or not, today’s decision is a victory for free speech.”
Mamdani said he had reached out to WABC to reschedule the town hall. A spokesperson for WABC did not respond to an immediate request for comment.
Mamdani had said earlier on Monday that he would not participate in a scheduled Sept. 25 town hall with WABC, the city’s ABC affiliate, over Disney’s decision to pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” over the host’s comments on the politicization of Charlie Kirk’s shooting. Disney announced on Monday that Kimmel would return on Tuesday after “thoughtful conversations” it had with him.
Mamdani said earlier Monday that Disney’s decision to pull Kimmel’s show sends a message that “the First Amendment is no longer a right that can be counted on, but rather that it is government which will determine what should and should not be discussed, what can and cannot be spoken.”
“We cannot normalize these kinds of acts nor offenses,” he said at a news conference. “These must be the basis upon which we act.”
