Hollywood star Ben Stiller has joined the ever-growing list of celebs to chime in on the online debate sparked by the 'indefinite' suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's talk show.
For those out of the loop with the on-screen scandal, ABC pulled Kimmel's series in response to controversial comments the presenter made on Monday (14 September) in response to Charlie Kirk's death.
Kicking off with a live rant about the incident, the 57-year-old TV star told his audience: "We had some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and with everything they can to score political points from it."
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The right-wing activist was assassinated during an event at Utah Valley University last week (10 September), after a man - later identified as suspect 22-year-old Tyler Robinson - hiding out on the foot of a nearby campus building - fired a single bullet through his neck.
What else did Jimmy Kimmel say?
During the latest episode, Trump-critic Kimmel also slammed the president's response to Kirk's passing, referencing a clip of him being asked by press how he was 'holding up', after which he oddly turned the conversation to his ongoing White House renovations.
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"He’s at the fourth stage of grief: construction," the presenter jibed. "This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK?"
Another clip of Trump - in which he once again brings up his construction work after being asked about Kirk - was also referenced by Kimmel, who went on to hit out: "There’s something wrong with him, there really is. Who thinks like that?"
How did TV bosses respond?
In response, as well as ABC bosses axing the series 'indefinitely', the channel's owner Nexstar Media Group, also vowed no longer to air Jimmy Kimmel Live!
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A spokesperson for Sinclair (the channel's biggest affiliate group) also spoke out, claiming more needs to be done to reprimand Kimmel, who was simultaneously ordered to issue a 'direct apology' to Kirk's family, and to 'make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA'.
What has Ben Stiller said?
In the days since, a number of influential figures in both entertainment and politics have spoken out against Kimmel's suspension - including actor Ben Stiller.
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The 59-year-old took to X yesterday (18 September) to share a savage three-word statement on the matter, cutting straight to the point by saying: "This isn’t right."
Who else has spoken out?
44th President of the US Barack Obama also released a passionate statement against cancel culture yesterday in response to the news.
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"After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like," the 64-year-old former Democratic leader said.
"This is precisely the kind of government coercion that the First Amendment was designed to prevent — and media companies need to start standing up rather than capitulating to it."
Kimmel's fellow host Jimmy Fallon spoke out on the prevention of presenters from freely speaking, telling his own audience last night: "Well guys, the big story is that Jimmy Kimmel was suspended by ABC after pressure from the FCC, leaving everybody thinking 'WTF'. What's going on?
"This morning I woke up to a hundred text messages from my dad saying, 'I'm sorry they cancelled your show'. I go, 'That's not me, that's Jimmy Kimmel'. But to be honest with you all, I don't know what's going on, and no one does.
Fallon, 51, went on to claim, however, that he '[does] know Jimmy Kimmel', and that 'he's a decent, funny and loving guy', before finally adding: "I hope he comes back."
Topics: Jimmy Kimmel, Celebrity, US News, Donald Trump, Charlie Kirk, TV And Film
Rhianna Benson