Colbert: “Tonight We Are All Jimmy Kimmel” — CBS Host Blasts ABC Over “Censorship”
Outgoing “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert delivered a fiery monologue Thursday night blasting ABC for yanking Jimmy Kimmel off the air, calling it “blatant censorship” and accusing the network of bowing to political pressure in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination fallout.
“I’m your host Stephen Colbert, but tonight we are all Jimmy Kimmel,” Colbert opened, directly addressing the decision to pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” following the ABC host’s inflammatory comments about accused assassin Tyler Robinson — and his mocking of President Trump’s response to Kirk’s death.
??BREAKING: Late Night Show Host Hollywood Stephen Colbert went on a dramatic rant during the opening of his show about Jimmy Kimmel being fired and his fear of all of his peers losing their jobs.
COLBERT: “Tonight, we are all Jimmy Kimmel … That is blatant censorship … If… pic.twitter.com/C7mdwbj7S1
— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) September 20, 2025
“Blatant Censorship” and Warning to ABC
Colbert didn’t hold back in accusing ABC — and by extension its parent company Disney — of giving in to an authoritarian White House.
“And it always starts small,” Colbert warned. “Remember, like in week one of his presidency, ‘Gulf of America.’ Call it ‘Gulf of America.’ Sure, it seems harmless, but with an autocrat, you cannot give an inch.”
He went on to say that ABC was “woefully naive” if it believed pulling Kimmel would appease the Trump administration or stave off regulatory pressure.
“If ABC thinks this is going to satisfy the regime, they are woefully naive.”
Standing With Kimmel — But Mocking the Fallout
Colbert made clear he stood “100%” with Kimmel and his staff, lamenting that Kimmel couldn’t even enjoy his recent Emmy win before being taken off the air. But he also downplayed Kimmel’s remarks, dismissing the backlash from FCC Chair Brendan Carr as overblown.
“What Kimmel said wasn’t so provocative,” Colbert shrugged, implying the outcry was politically motivated.
Carr, who has emerged as a staunch enforcer under Trump’s second-term FCC, had previously condemned Kimmel’s remarks and threatened regulatory scrutiny for Disney — particularly as it navigates a delicate merger landscape with its ABC affiliates and other media partners.
Colbert called Carr a “hypocrite,” pointing to a 2020 post in which Carr decried censorship of political satire and late-night comedians.
Behind-the-Scenes Politics
The CBS host also highlighted the broader political and business context behind ABC’s decision, referencing Nexstar Media Group’s announcement that it would preempt Kimmel’s show across its ABC affiliates — just weeks before Nexstar’s proposed merger is expected to be reviewed by the Trump administration.
“So a company apparently capitulating to the whims of the president in order to ensure their merger goes through. Has that ever happened before?” Colbert quipped, pausing with a wink to let the audience fill in the blanks.
Colbert himself is slated to exit “The Late Show” in 2026, shortly after CBS parent company Paramount finalized an $8 billion merger with Skydance Media — a deal that only went through after settling a high-profile lawsuit filed by President Trump over alleged defamation.
The Comments That Sparked It All
Kimmel’s downfall began with a Monday monologue in which he mocked Trump’s response to the assassination of Charlie Kirk and accused MAGA supporters of attempting to deflect blame for the shooter’s motivations.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them,” Kimmel said, despite mounting evidence and official indictments confirming the suspect’s ties to far-left ideology.
He also took a personal jab at Trump’s public mourning, saying, “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of somebody he called a friend. This is how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK?”
The backlash was swift. FCC Chairman Carr issued a public statement condemning the comments as “incendiary” and “deeply irresponsible.” ABC affiliates began pressuring Disney executives to act, culminating in Wednesday’s announcement that “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” would be preempted indefinitely.
The End of Late Night?
Colbert’s emotional defense of Kimmel may mark one of the final rallying cries from a late-night era that has seen its influence wane in the Trump second term. With “The Late Show” set to end in 2026 and Kimmel sidelined indefinitely, a growing number of voices are warning that political satire may not survive under increased regulatory scrutiny.
As Colbert told his audience with a smirk: “If you think they’re coming for just Jimmy, you haven’t been paying attention.” (RELATED: Dozens of ABC Stations to Air Charlie Kirk Tribute in Jimmy Kimmel’s Timeslot)