US comedians have come to the defence of one of their own, Jimmy Kimmel, a day after his eponymous show was suspended by broadcaster ABC.
Kimmel’s show was pulled after he said the man suspected of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk was part of the right wing and accused conservatives of using Kirk’s death to score political points.
Trump appointee Brendan Carr who heads the Federal Communications Commission says he appeared to “directly mislead the American public” with his comments.
Democrats decried the suspension, with former President Barack Obama saying the government was using regulatory bodies to muzzle dissenting voices.
Kimmel’s suspension comes after Carr called for the show’s suspension and for local ABC affiliate stations not to carry the late-night comedy programme.
Nextstar, which owns several local television stations, was among the first to say it will not air future shows on the ABC-affiliate stations it owns. The company is in the midst of merger talks that would require FCC approval.
Leave a Reply