Bill Maher brands Jimmy Fallon’s Charlie Kirk comments ‘wrong’ despite defending late-night host

Bill Maher is the latest late night star to throw his support behind Jimmy Kimmel after his suspension following his comments about Charlie Kirk’s death.

Broadcaster ABC announced Jimmy Kimmel Live! had been pulled ‘indefinitely’ following comments made by the presenter about the assassination of right-wing influencer Kirk.

On Monday’s episode of the show – which Kimmel has hosted since 2003 – he said the following about Kirk’s alleged killer: ‘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.’

Since then, the likes of Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon and former host David Letterman have all shared words of support for Kimmel.

On Friday’s episode of Real Time, Maher described Kimmel as a ‘friend’ and ‘compatriot’ who got ‘canned by ABC’ in a moment he joked brought things full circle.

‘It was 24 years to the day that I made comments on ABC that got me cancelled from that network, and Jimmy Kimmel took my slot,’ he recalled of his 9/11 comments that cost him his job.

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Barack Obama called the move ‘dangerous’, as he wrote on X: ‘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 former President added: ‘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.’

Writing on X, Ben Stiller reposted the news of ABC taking Kimmel off the air and said: ‘This isn’t right.’ 

Jamie Lee Curtis, 66, also reposted a photo of Kimmel to her Instagram Story with a quote attributed to the comedian, saying: ‘I don’t think anybody should be canceled. I really don’t.’

Following his suspension, SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America have released statements condemning Kimmel’s suspension.

‘The decision to suspend airing Jimmy Kimmel Live! is the type of suppression and retaliation that endangers everyone’s freedoms,’ they said.

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