American Federation of Musicians slam Jimmy Kimmel’s cancellation as “state censorship”
The American Federation of Musicians has come to Jimmy Kimmel’s defence after Jimmy Kimmel Live was removed from the air indefinitely due to his comments on the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
On September 17th, a spokesperson for the network announced that “Jimmy Kimmel Live will be pre-empted indefinitely.” They labelled his comments on the assassination of Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk as “offensive and insensitive at a critical time in our national political discourse”.
One of the many comments that led to the suspension was Kimmel’s commentary on Trump’s reaction to Kirk’s death. He said, “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.”
Now, the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada has issued a statement in response to the shocking news, speaking on behalf of musicians from Local 47 in Los Angeles employed on the show. International President Tino Gagliardi began, “This is not complicated: Trump’s FCC identified speech it did not like and threatened ABC with extreme reprisals.”
He continued, “This is state censorship. It is now happening in the United States of America, not some far-off country. It’s happening right here and right now.”
The statement then read, “This act by the Trump Administration represents a direct attack on free speech and artistic expression. These are fundamental rights that we must protect in a free society. The American Federation of Musicians strongly condemns the decision to take Jimmy Kimmel Live off the air.”
It closed out with a reaffirmation of solidarity: “We stand in solidarity with all those who will be without work because of government overreach.”
On the other side of the coin, Trump responded to the cancellation, deeming it “Great News for America” on Truth Social. He added, “The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT”.
Kimmel is yet to address the suspension.
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