After the news that Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been suspended for the foreseeable future by ABC after Kimmel made comments about Charlie Kirk's assassination, Marlon Wayans has chimed in on the situation.
"This is America," Wayans said when he was asked on the red carpet for his thoughts on the sudden cancellation of Kimmel for his mild pushback on Donald Trump's dismissive response to being asked how he was "holding up" following Kirk's death. "You know what we're seeing is not something that we, myself as a Black man, hasn't seen before. I just think it's a shame and I think every last American loses because of this."
While he thought the whole situation was "a shame," he was confident that Kimmel would bounce back. "Guys and artists, voices like Jimmy Kimmel, we have to be courageous," he continued. "It's a new beginning. You can't stop the dunk. You just made me create a new lane. That's all."
Kimmel's show was pulled from ABC abruptly after media company Nexstar pulled the show from its 200 stations across the U.S., citing a strong objection to "recent comments made by Mr. Kimmel concerning the killing of Charlie Kirk." The conservative media figure and activist was fatally shot in the neck at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, setting off a wave of heated political reactions.
Many have suspected that the alleged shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, had a political motivation for the killing, with left-wing, liberal, and conservative pundits coming to their own conclusions amid the lack of clarity on his views. Kimmel made a comment about the speculation during the monologue on Monday (Sept. 15).
"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 and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said. He also highlighted that Trump, when asked how he was "holding up" after the death of Kirk by reporters, appeared more interested in talking about the renovations at the White House.
Prior to the suspension, ABC faced threats from Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr after Kimmel's comments. “Local broadcasters have an obligation to serve the public interest," Carr said. "While this may be an unprecedented decision, it is important for broadcasters to push back on Disney programming that they determine falls short of community.”
The suspension has been criticized by many, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, as a violation of free speech.
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