Stephen Colbert weighed in on the Jimmy Kimmel drama on Thursday’s (September 18) The Late Present, calling ABC’s determination to drag Jimmy Kimmel Dwell! off the air a “blatant assault on freedom of speech.” He additionally introduced again his beloved right-wing cable information pundit persona from his days on Comedy Central.
“Tonight, we’re all Jimmy Kimmel,” Colbert mentioned on the prime of Thursday’s monologue, reminding viewers how ABC suspended Kimmel “indefinitely” after threats from Federal Communications Fee chairman Brendan Carr associated to feedback Kimmel made in regards to the Charlie Kirk capturing on Monday’s (September 14) present.
“That’s blatant censorship,” Colbert continued, including “it at all times begins small” and noting how, firstly of President Donald Trump‘s presidency, he needed to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
“Positive, appears innocent, however with an autocrat, you can not give an inch!” the late-night host acknowledged. “And to Jimmy and all his workers, I stand with you 100 per cent, and likewise… You couldn’t let me take pleasure in this for like one week,” he quipped, taking out his Emmy trophy.
After airing a clip of Kimmel’s supposedly offensive feedback, Colbert acknowledged, “Given the FCC response, I used to be anticipating one thing extra provocative. That’s like listening to that Playboy has a racy new heart folder, and discovering out it’s simply Jimmy Kimmel.”
Colbert then turned his consideration to Carr, airing his statements the place he made thinly veiled threats to ABC associates so as to strain ABC to drag Kimmel off the air.
“Shortly after Carr makes his statements about ABC, Kimmel will get yanked off the air. This determination got here after senior executives at ABC, Disney and associates convened emergency conferences throughout which a number of execs felt that Kimmel had not truly mentioned something over the road, however the specter of Trump administration retaliation loomed,” Colbert continued.
“As one supply at ABC put it, they had been pissing themselves all day. On the intense facet, that proves Disney is No. 1 in streaming,” he joked.
Elsewhere on Thursday’s Late Present, the comic resurrected his right-wing cable information persona from The Colbert Report and introduced again his in style phase The Phrase. Colbert launched right into a Republican-favored monologue about how Individuals ought to by no means “complain, it doesn’t matter what the President does,” whereas textual content in a side-chyron contradicted his phrases.
“Hand over, America. Simply quit and cease saying something that may upset the president,” Colbert concluded the phase. “In case you suppose that’s a horrible concept, no, you don’t.”
You possibly can watch Colbert’s full opening monologue and The Phrase phase within the movies above and tell us your ideas under.
The Late Present With Stephen Colbert, Weeknights, 11:35/10:35c, CBS