Seth Meyers is voicing support for Jimmy Kimmel after Kimmel's late-night talk show was pulled off the air.
The "Late Night" host took time out of his monologue Sept. 18 to comment on Kimmel's abrupt ouster, characterizing the move by ABC to preempt his colleague's show "indefinitely" as a threat to freedom of speech, a right codified by the First Amendment in the U.S.
"This is a big moment in our democracy and we must all stand up for the principles of free expression," Meyers told the audience. Kimmel's show was pulled following comments he made in the wake of Charlie Kirk's killing, speculating on the politics of the shooter, now identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. His mother has since said her son's views lurched left in recent years.
When Brendan Carr, the chairman of the FCC under Trump, sounded the alarm on Kimmel's comments, several companies that own local ABC affiliate stations, which air the comedian's show, announced plans to pull it from their broadcast. ABC then stepped in to remove the show from the air, at least for now.
Meyers, whose signature "Closer Look" segment has become synonymous with sharp political analysis and critique of President Donald Trump, assured viewers that his tone would not change out of fear of retaliation.
