"A true icon": Internet reacts as Stephen Colbert stands by Jimmy Kimmel amid ABC suspension

On Thursday night, Stephen Colbert opened The Late Show with a fiery monologue in defense of Jimmy Kimmel, whose ABC program Jimmy Kimmel Live! was suspended.

Kimmel's removal was due to comments he made about the fatal shooting of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk and supporters of POTUS Donald Trump's MAGA movement.

Notably, Colbert's own CBS program is set to be canceled in May 2026. He told his audience at New York's Ed Sullivan Theater:

"This is blatant censorship. With an autocrat, you cannot give an inch. Jimmy, I stand with you and your staff 100%."

Netizens reacted to this, saying:

"Stephen is a true icon."

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Stephen Colbert's complete statement on Jimmy Kimmel's ABC suspension

On Thursday night, Stephen Colbert used his platform to weigh in on the matter. He mentioned:

"I am your host Stephen Colbert but tonight, we are all Jimmy Kimmel. Yesterday, after threats from Trump's FCC chair, ABC yanked Kimmel off the air indefinitely. That is blatant censorship. With an autocrat you can not give an inch and if ABC thinks that this is going to satisfy the regime, they are woefully naive. And clearly they have never read the children's book, If You Give a Mouse a Kimmel."

He also added:

"I stand with you and your staff 100%. And also, you couldn't let me enjoy this for like one week? Shortly after Carr made his statements about ABC, Kimmel gets yanked off the air."

Attributing an ABC source, Stephen Colbert claimed:

"This decision came after senior executives at ABC, Disney and affiliates convened emergency meetings during which multiple execs felt that Kimmel had not actually said anything over the line, but the threat of Trump administration retaliation loomed. As one source at ABC put it, they were pissing themselves all day. On the bright side, that proves Disney is number one in streaming."

Netizens were quick to react to Colbert's support for Jimmy Kimmel as they took to social media to express their thoughts. Below are some of their remarks:

"i'm so thankful that most of the top talk show hosts aren't as blind as most of america", penned an X user.

"Great to see Colbert standing up for Kimmel against this blatant censorship", commented another.

"actually good to see comedians standing with each other and protecting FREE SPEECH", shared a third.

Others also chimed in:

"I love how people are coming to his support… we need to bring his show back", opined a netizen.

"Colbert acting like standing with Kimmel is some heroic rebellion when it's really just late-night hosts crying over lost screen time.", stated another.

"And we stand with Jimmy and Stephen", declared a third.

Stephen Colbert's upcoming cancellation was announced in July 2025. It followed his accusation that CBS's parent company, Paramount, had paid a "big fat bribe" to Trump in the form of a $16 million settlement over a lawsuit.

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Also Read: "Go after anybody opposing them": Protest swells outside Jimmy Kimmel's studio after ABC suspends late-night show

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