Kimmel gets back to work in Hollywood

Just one hour before news broke on Sept. 22 that ABC would bring “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” back on air, a large contingent of Los Angeles County representatives and entertainment union members gathered outside the show’s Hollywood Boulevard studio to protest its previously indefinite suspension.

The rally was the culmination of several days of protests, both in Hollywood and outside ABC parent company Disney’s headquarters in Burbank, which sprung up in response to the company’s decision to pull longtime host Jimmy Kimmel off the air. The move came after Kimmel criticized MAGA’s reaction to the identification of Charlie Kirk’s alleged shooter in his Sept. 15 opening monologue. Kimmel also made, as he often has since his series launched in 2003, topical jokes about the president.

The jokes, however, caught the attention of President Donald Trump’s base and administration, and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Kimmel on a podcast on Sept. 17, adding that his department had a strong case against the series for “spreading misinformation.” He also called Kimmel’s words “truly sick.” Shortly after, Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group said they would remove “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from all affiliate stations, dozens of which the two corporations own. That same day, ABC and Disney announced Kimmel’s “indefinite suspension.” The protests began almost immediately, social media campaigns encouraged people to cancel their subscriptions to Disney+ and Hulu, and open letters signed by numerous entertainment luminaries circulated, with names including Meryl Streep, Jennifer Aniston and Tom Hanks.

The backlash centered on what many argued was a violation of free speech. Unlikely allies in that opinion were found in Republican Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rand Paul (R-Kentucky). Hollywood, meanwhile, showed up in force. The Writers Guild of America led the picketing at Disney Studios, while grassroots groups such as Refuse Fascism took to the megaphone on Hollywood Boulevard.

For L.A. residents, the impact stretched beyond free speech implications. Roughly 200 workers are employed by “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” which is taped at the historic Hollywood Masonic Temple. Many entertainment unions are represented by the series’ workers, including WGA, SAG-AFTRA, the Teamsters, the Directors Guild of America, the American Federation of Musicians and IATSE. The show is a visible part of the Hollywood tourism scene, with frequent “man on the street” interviews filmed on the Walk of Fame. Visitors, too, often make a Kimmel taping part of their itinerary.

On Sept. 22, state and local representatives across Los Angeles County showed a united front at a rally organized by Rep. Laura Freidman (D-Glendale), who represents Hollywood. Also in attendance were other congressional members such as Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Los Angeles County), Brad Sherman (D-Los Angeles) and Judy Chu (D-Los Angeles).

“I would remind every corporation in America that many of their business models cannot survive in a world where the government gets to tell them what to say,” Friedman said. “We all know – if everyone remembers back to their school days – if you give a bully your lunch money, they just come back the next day and demand it again. There’s a time when we all have to stand up and say no, and that includes the people who run broadcast networks and other companies.”

“When is this going to stop ABC? You have a choice,” Lieu said. “You can continue to be bullied, or you can stand up for yourself, stand up for the First Amendment and invoke the protection of the First Amendment, an amendment that generations of Americans have given the blood, sweat and tears to defend.”

Local leaders, including Los Angeles City Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, 13th District, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, 3rd District, voiced support as well.

“I want to be very clear, this fight is not about one talk show or one network,” Horvath said. “This is about every single worker, every artist, every union member, every voice that deserves to be heard without bowing to the Trump administration. We know their playbook, whether it was the McCarthy era in this country or autocrats around the globe. They think fear will silence us, but we are here on Hollywood Boulevard in one of the most iconic American sites of entertainment, of free speech and democracy. And we are not going back.”

“We’re not only just fighting for our democracy and our right to free speech, but we are here to stand with our siblings from the labor movement,” Soto-Martinez said. “Two-hundred jobs hang in the balance thanks to this blatant government censorship.”

Union leaders were also present at the protest.

“Our democracy depends more than anything else on our rights to speak freely without retaliation from the government, especially when that speech challenges those in power,” WGA president Meredith Stiehm said.

Most attendees and onlookers in Hollywood – and several honking drivers – were supportive of the rally’s cause, though there was one sign demanding, “Jimmy apologize!” and another man with a loudspeaker walked by called out, “The face of evil right here. Pure evil – a group of people memorializing murder.” As the rally concluded, one person forcefully demanded Lieu explain his Sept. 19 vote in support of a Congressional resolution honoring Kirk, to which the congressman stated he had voted to condemn political violence.

Roughly one hour after the protest ended, ABC/Disney announced its decision to bring Kimmel back on air, with the host’s first episode back airing Sept. 23, though Nexstar and Sinclair said their affiliates would air news programming instead.

“We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” Disney said in a statement.

Los Angeles leaders applauded the move but urged caution regarding the protection of free speech during the Trump administration.

“The last thing any of us want is for the broadcast networks in the United States to be seen as just another arm of the Trump administration,” Friedman said. “The last thing we want our artists to believe is that they will be fired simply for making a joke at Donald Trump’s expense. So that’s what the rally was about [on Sept. 22]. We haven’t seen any apologies from the Trump administration. We haven’t seen any explanations from them. We haven’t seen Brendan Carr come out and say that there was any misunderstanding. In fact, it’s gone further with Donald Trump saying that he expects several different comedians to be taken off the air. And then he’s also said right out in public that he thinks that broadcast licenses should be yanked if these broadcasters allow speech that he personally disagrees with. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want Donald Trump deciding what I can watch on TV.”

“The attempt to censor Jimmy Kimmel and free speech in America has failed,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said. “Systematically, this administration has attempted to shred the very fabric of freedom and liberty in this country by targeting and censoring voices that disagree with the President. The problem for them is that this will only make them louder. I stand with Jimmy and look forward to the show.”

This story will be updated at beverlypress.com as it develops.