400+ major Hollywood actors like Robert DeNiro and Tom Hanks sign an open letter condemning the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel

Over 400 major Hollywood celebrities have signed a letter condemning the sudden suspension of Jimmy Kimmel from his late-night talk show, which has been running for more than two decades.

The letter is signed by Robert DeNiro, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Ben Affleck, Mark Ruffalo, Florence Pugh, Pedro Pascal, Joaquin Phoenix, Bryan Cranston, Jane Fonda, Noah Wyle, Ramy Youssef, W. Kamau Bell, Olivia Rodrigo, Frances McDormand, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jean Smart, Martin Short, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Bateman, and more, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Last week, Jimmy Kimmel was suspended from his position, and his show was suddenly taken off the air for an indefinite period after his comments about conservative commentator Charlie Kirk's death. His comments were deemed objectionable and drew the ire of conservative speakers and outlets, which led to the said decision about his position at the ABC show.

Since then, many celebrities and politicians have spoken about Disney's decision, and now, over 400 of them have signed an open letter by the American Civil Liberties Union. It's in support of the late-night chat show host and to condemn the decision to suspend his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, for the foreseeable future.

Robert DeNiro, Tom Hanks, and Meryl Streep are among the Hollywood celebrities signing the ACLU's letter supporting Jimmy Kimmel

The letter condemning the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel from his position at ABC by Disney begins with a note:

“We the people must never accept government threats to our freedom of speech. Efforts by leaders to pressure artists, journalists, and companies with retaliation for their speech strike at the heart of what it means to live in a free country.”

Anthony D. Romero, the executive director of the ACLU, who organized the letter, also spoke about this topic with THR. He said,

“We now find ourselves in a modern McCarthy era, facing exactly the type of heavy-handed government censorship our Constitution rightfully forbids."

He then drew parallels with the actions taken against the 20th-century public figures in a similar fashion, saying,

“The silencing of Jimmy Kimmel and jawboning of media outlets through lawsuits and threats to their licenses evoke dark memories of the 1950s. 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.”

The aforementioned letter symbolically extends support to professionals from other industries by saying,

"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."

The letter ends with the following note:

"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."

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Also read: “It’s wrong and…”: Conan O’Brien opens up about the Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s cancelation

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